SpiderWoman
by Shade Penn
Summary: Novelization of the first movie. Perenna Parker was just a normal geeky girl when she got bit by a mutated spider and her life changed forever as she was destined to become Spider-Woman! Contains slight Femslash.
1. Chapter 1

**Who am I? You sure you wanna know? The story of my life is not for the faint of heart.**

In 1987, a cab pulled up to an average house in Queens, New York.

**If somebody said it was a happy little tale, if somebody told you I was just your average, ordinary girl, not a care in the world…**

A social worker got out the cab, holding the hand of 4 year old Perenna Parker, tears streaming down her face as she hugs a suit case to herself. The cab motored away to show Perenna her new home.

Aunt May and Uncle Ben stood on the porch, smiling. The social worker lead Perenna up the steps and Uncle Ben extend his hand out. Perenna looked up at the social worker who nodded her head and Perenna takes the hand. Uncle Ben and Aunt May lead Perenna inside and as she looked back at the social worker, the door closed.

**…_somebody lied._**

In the new year of 2000, a yellow school bus roars through the streets of Queens.

**Mine is a tale of sorrow and pain, longing and heartbreak, anger and betrayal. And that just covers the high school years.**

Inside the bus are rows filled with teenagers, some different, some not so different, jocks, nerds, and average kids alike. And _her._

**But let me assure you-this, like any story worth telling, is all about a girl. That's right, a girl.**

Mary Jane Watson is a knockout pretty girl, but her eyes are too sad to belong to a 17 year old as she looked out the window of the school bus.

**_That_ girl. Mary Jane Watson, M.J to her friends. The woman I've loved since before I even _liked_ girls, or guys for that matter.**

The arm that draped around M.J's shoulder belonged to Flash Thompson; a self-assured, handsome, high school Big Name. He is also looking out the school bus window, and he's howling with laughter.

**I'd like to tell you that's me beside her, but it's not; since I'm not a guy.**

Further back is a large boy messily eating a jelly doughnut.

**Heck, I'd even take him, but again; not a guy.**

Outside the window, and what they're all laughing about is Perenna Parker. A bespectacled, book-bagged, 17 year old girl chasing after the bus, to the derision of everyone aboard.

M.J though can't stand it anymore as she jumped up and hurried to the front of the bus, and shouted over the laughter at the bus driver, "Stop the bus! She's been chasing us since Woodhaven Boulevard!"

Everyone let out a disappointed 'Awww' as the bud slowed down, and Perenna climbed aboard, looking breathless and limp.

"Thanks…sorry…sorry…thanks." She panted.

Perenna straightened up and eyed an open seat next to a geeky girl with a mouth full of braces. The girl made eye contact with Perenna and moved her books to occupy the vacant seat. "Don't even think about it." The girl said.

Perenna moved on and as she made her way down the aisle, M.J sat back down next to Flash again, only this time next to the window. When she wasn't looking, Flash slid his foot out in front of Perenna's beat-up sneaker. Perenna tripped and fell hard, and face first down in the aisle. More laughter erupted and M.J looked at Flash sharply-"Did you do that?"

"What?" Flash yelled in outraged innocence.

On the floor, Perenna lifted her head and looked at Flash and M.J. Flash is grinning, but M.J is looking down at her with pity. Perenna looked at her helpless, and her glasses are dangling from one ear.

**That's me. Perenna Parker.**

The yellow bus crossed the Queensboro bridge and heads for the spectacular skyline of Manhattan. When the bus makes it route to the Columbia University, a stressed out teacher was on the steps of the building with a clipboard in one hand.

The students are gathered around the steps, but Perenna is standing alone with a camera around her neck, and M.J is standing with her girlfriends.

"Okay, people, no wandering. Proceed directly to the KNOCK IT THE HELL OFF!" The stressed out teacher yelled and walked up the steps and into the building.

The students all slowly move to the steps, but thy all turn to see a Bentley pulling up at the curb.

Inside the car is 17 year old Harry Osborn sitting in the backseat next to his father Norman Osborn, who is in his mid-forties. Norman exudes power and anger, while Harry is slowly acquiring both.

"Dad, could you drive around the corner?" Harry asked.

"Why? The door's right there." Osborn said.

"These are public school kids. I'm not showing up t school in a Bentley." Harry countered.

"What? You want me to trade in my car for a Jetta because you flunked out of every private school I sent you to?" Osborn questioned.

"They weren't for me. I told you that. It wasn't me." Harry replied.

"Of course it was!" Osborn retorted and reached for Harry's door. "Don't ever be ashamed of who you are."

"I'm not ashamed, I'm just not what you…" Harry trailed off uncertainly.

"What, Harry?" Osborn asked.

"Forget it, dad." Harry replied as he got out of the Bentley and Perenna looked at him.

"Hi ya, Harry." She said with a lovely grin.

"Hey, Perry." Harry replied.

Behind them, the door to the Bentley opened and Norman emerged holding Harry's book bag. "Won't you be needing this?" he asked as he handed Harry the bag.

Harry moved around the car to the side walk. "Perenna, this is my father, Norma Osborn."

"Great honor to meet you." Perenna said.

Harry looked over at M.J, who was talking to her girlfriends about the arrival of the Bentley.

"I've heard a lot about you, Harry tells me you're quite the science whiz." Osborn said.

"Well, I don't know about that." Perenna said nervously.

"She's being modest. I told you, she's won all the prizes." Harry said and Perenna blushed lightly.

"Anyone who can get Harry to pass Chemistry shouldn't be modest." Osborn said.

"Harry's really smart. He didn't need my help." Perenna countered.

"We have to go, dad." Harry said, but Osborn laid a paternal hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed too hard.

"I'm something of a scientist myself, you know." He said.

"I know." Perenna replied. "I know all about OsCorp. You guys are designing the guidance and re-entry systems for the first shuttle mission to Mars. Really brilliant."

"Impressive. You parents must be proud." Osborn said.

"I live with my aunt and uncle, they're proud." Perenna said.

"What about your folks?" Osborn questioned.

Perenna looked uncomfortably at her shoes. "They die when I was little."

"I lost my parents as a young child as well." Osborn replied.

"Which no doubt strengthened your iron will to succeed, huh dad?" Harry asked snarkily.

"HEY, YOU TWO, I'M CLOSING THE DOOR!" The teacher yelled.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Osborn." Perenna said as she moved away.

"See you again." Osborn said.

Harry moved fast up the steps and passed M.J. "Hi."

They walked in and Harry smiled at M.J, who was now in front of Flash.

"He doesn't seem so bad." Perenna said referring to her friend's father.

"Not if you're a genius." Harry retorted. "I think he wants to adopt you."

Harry discreetly called M.J's attention to Perenna and primes her to talk. "Hey," he nodded at M.J, "say something." They approached M.J, but nothing comes out of Perenna's mouth, so Harry stepped in to fill the awkward moment. "Hi. How ya doing?"

M.J smiled. "Hey."

Perenna did nothing, so they continued on. _'I'm such an idiot.'_

"Why didn't you say anything?" Harry questioned.

"I was about to say something. It wasn't the right moment." Perenna said covering up her embarrassment. She managed to look back over her shoulder to where Harry's father is still standing beside his car, looking off. To her, he seemed like a lonely figure.


	2. Chapter 2

"There are more than 32,000 known species of spider in the world." The tour guide began as thirty-odd students and their teacher are lead around a cavernous laboratory by a tour guide and they pass a number of spider exhibits.

"They are in the order Aranae, which is divided into three sub-orders-Mesothelea, Orthognatha, and Labidognatha. All spiders are carnivorous, ravenous eaters who feed on massive quantities of protein, in liquid form, usually the juices of their prey. Arachnids from each of the three groups vary in strengths which help them in their constant hunt and search for food." The guide explained.

Perenna, with the camera around her neck, kept on eye on M.J, who is joking around with her friends. Flash mover to M.J, put his arm around her and nuzzled her neck. Perenna winced and turned away and back to the tour. M.J saw Perenna's reaction and pulled away from Flash looking embarrassed.

"For example; the jumping spider-family Salticidae, genus Salticus-" The guide is cut off by the teacher.

"Excuse me. Is there anyone paying attention to the genus Salticus?" he asked and looked at the tour guide. "I apologize, go on."

The genus Salticus can leap up to forty times its body length thanks to a proportionate muscular strength vastly greater than that of a human being." The guide continued.

Perenna caught the eye of the guide and gestured to her camera. _'Would it be okay to take pictures?'_ she thought before speaking aloud. "For the school paper?"

The guide nodded and a few students rolled their eyes while muttering "geek " under their breath. Perenna ignored them and raised her camera. Behind her, one of Flash's cronies bumped Perenna's elbow on purpose, ruining the picture and the other kids laughed.

"The funnel web spider-family Hexathelidae, genus Atrax-one of the deadliest spiders in the world, spins an intricate funnel-shaped web whose strands have a tensile strength proportionately equal to the type if high tension wire used in bridge buildings." The tour guide explained.

Perenna raised her camera again, but go bumped again. She turned and Flash's crony stepped forward threateningly.

"Leave her alone." Harry muttered.

The crony turned to see Harry Osborn staring at him. "Or what?"

"Or his father will fire your father." A boy retorted and they laughed.

The teacher cut in, his voice being loud and clear. "The next person who talks is going to fail this course, I kid you not."

"The crab spider-family Themisidae, genus Misumen-spins no web to catch its prey, but hunts instead using a set of reflexes with nerve conduction velocities so fast that some researchers believe that it almost borders on precognition, an early awareness of danger, a "Spider-sense."" The guide explained.

They all reached the center of the rotund floor where researches are working at computers surrounding an electron microscope. Large video screens around the room display giant images of the microscope's area of scrutiny-spider DNA.

"Over five painstaking years Columbia's genetic research has finally mapped out the genetic codes of each of these spiders." The guide began and up above them a single spider sit on its magnificent web, glistening in the light, "Armed with these DNA blueprints, we have now begun what was once thought impossible-interspecies genetic transmutation. In this Recombination Lab, we use synthesized transfer-RNA to encode an entirely new genome, combining genetic information from all three spiders into these genetically designed super-spiders. The first mankind had ever produced." The guide explained almot excitedly.

The clad checked out each of the creepy-looking spiders and crowded around the glass tank.

"Dis_gus_ting." M.J said wide-eyed.

"Hateful little things." Harry said.

"I love it." M.J said.

Harry looked at her in momentary surprise. "Really? Me too."

"Just imagine-one day we can isolate the strengths, powers, and immunities in human beings and _transfer_ that DNA code among ourselves. All known diseases could be wiped out. Of course we're nowhere near ready to start experimenting with humans, so the moment we're concentrating on these 15 spiders. Any questions?" The guide asked.

"Fourteen." Perenna whispered.

"Fourteen?" Harry repeated.

"I beg your pardon?" The tour guide questioned.

"There's only fourteen." Perenna said.

"No, there's fifteen. Aren't there?" The guide questioned.

As she and the other students turned their attention to the tank, and started to count the spiders, the spider in its web begins to crawl across it and then begins to drop.

The tour group has given up on the mysterious fifteenth spider and followed the tour guide. M.J lingered for a moment to check out her reflection in the tank. By herself, looking particularly beautiful in her light, Perenna stared, mesmerized before snapping up the opportunity.

"Can I take your picture?" she asked and M.J looked at her in surprise. "I need one with a student in it."

M.J hid a smile. Poses, having fun; she loved the camera. "Don't make me look ugly!"

"Impossible." Perenna assured her. "Right there. Good!" Above Perenna, the spider descends as she continues to snap photos of M.J. "And one more." She said snapping another shot, but M.J has turned away and was moving toward her awaiting friends. "Thanks."

The spider continued to drop, right onto Perenna's right hand and bit down. "Ow!" she shook her hand hard and flipped the spider off her.

Perenna looked down at her hand. There are two tiny bite marks where the spider had sunk its fangs into her skin. She bent down to look at the spider, only to find that its dead.

She stood back up, rubbing her hand. From across the lab, she is silhouetted before the huge electron microscope display screens, where swirling strands of DNA molecules combine, detach, and recombine.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Like I should've said from the start and won't say again, I own none of the characters nor do I make profit from this.

* * *

><p>A gigantic industrial complex lays out on Long Island, New York. Smokestacks expel black nasty clouds of smoke into the air and in huge red neon letters, <em>OSCORP<em> is spelled out over the gate.

Inside a woman's voice says, "General Slocum and the others have already started-" The elevator opens to the OsCorp R&D headquarters, a sprawling lab complex hundreds of feet below ground level. Norman Osborn quickly strides across a massive catwalk as he is briefed by his aide, Simkins, "-the inspection. Mr. Balkan and Mr. Fargas are with them." Simkins finished.

"Why wasn't I told about this?" Osborn questioned.

"I don't think they wanted you to know, sir." Simkins replied.

In the lab a work area has a strange object mounted on a servo-pole, being worked on by a technician. It looked like a perfectly aerodynamic boogie board with upturned fins on each side, footholds carved into the wings, and a center tube that looked like a jet engine.

Next to the device, a technician wore a lightweight, super tight-fitting electronic suit. As he moved his head, arms, and legs, the boogie board pivots on the pole-up, down, left bank, right bank.

The Pentagon delegation, a group consisting of uniformed officers, and men and women in suits observed the device with Dr. Mendel Stromm, the project director. Balkan and Fargas, two exceedingly grumpy septuagenarians, looked on, with Fargas being sited in a wheelchair.

"Individual Personnel Transports are moving along splendidly." Stromm said to the group.

"I've already seen your glider. That's not why I'm here." General Slocum said.

Norman Osborn and Simkins then entered the lab. "General Slocum, good to see you again. Mr. Balkan, Mr. Fargas, always a pleasure to have our board of directors pays us a visit."

Slocum nodded at Osborn. "I want a progress report on the Human Performance Enhancers."

They moved across the lab stand next to a glass-walled isolation chamber, within are several scientist working on a bank of equipment.

"We tried vapor inhalation with rodent subjects, they showed an 800 percent increase in strength." Stroom explained.

Fargas rolled forward. "800 percent? That's excellent."

"Any side effects?" General Slocum questioned.

"In one trial, yes, the-" Stromm is cut off by Osborn.

"It was an aberration. All the tests since then have been successful." He said.

General Slocum though was still talking to Stromm. "In the test that went wrong, what happened? What were the side effects?"

"Violence, aggression, and eventually insanity." Stromm listed off.

"What's your recommendation?" General Slocum questioned.

"With the exception of Dr. Stromm, our entire staff has certified the product for human testing." Osborn said.

"We need to take the whole line back to formula." Stromm added.

Osborn looked back at Stromm sharply. "Back to formula?" he whispered angrily, wanting to kill this man with his bare hands.

"Mr. Osborn, this department has missed several consecutive delivery dates. After five and a half years of R&D the United States government has a right to expect a super soldier you were contracted to deliver." General Slocum explained.

"These are quantum leaps in science, gentlemen. We are unlocking secrets of human evolution. I never said it would be cheap or fast, only ground breaking." Osborn countered.

"I'll be frank with you, I never supported your program. We have my predecessor to thank for that." General Slocum retorted.

"The general had already given the go-ahead to Quest Aerospace to build a prototype of their exoskeleton design. They test two weeks." Balkan explained.

"If your so-called Performance Enhancers haven't had a successful human trial by that time, I will pull your funding and give it to them." General Slocum said.

"Norman, we are not going to lose this contract." Fargas said seriously.

Everyone looked at Osborn critically, wondering what he was going to do about it.

A

On a cosy Franklin Street, the Parker house sat indistinguishable from the other lower middle income houses and inside the house, Ben Parker, a kindly man in his sixties, is changing a light bulb by standing on a chair, reaching high and stretching precariously.

May Parker, a frail woman the same age as Ben, moved into the kitchen. "Why aren't you using a ladder? You'll fall and break you neck. Wait for Perenna to do that." She admonished.

Uncle Ben put the light bulb in and the light came on. "God said let there be light, and voila, 80 soft glowing watts of it." He said starting to get down from the chair still holding the burned out light bulb.

"Good boy, God'll be thrilled, just don't fall on your ass." Aunt May retorted.

"I'm already on my ass. When the plant senior electrician is laid off after 35 years, what else would you call it? Of course I'm on my ass." Uncle Ben replied.

Aunt May looked at him and held out her hand. "Hand me that bowl. The green one."

Uncle Ben handed her the bowl and sat down at the table, opening the newspaper and looking at the classified page. "Corporations, firing people left and right so they can save a few billion more. What do they know about standing on a stool, screwing in a light bulb?"

"Ben, you'll get _another_ job somewhere." Aunt May reassured him.

"Well, let's see." Uncle Ben said and began reading the paper aloud. "Computer analyst, computer designer, computer engineer, computer…" he sighed as all the want ads went on to say the same thing. "I'm 68 damn years old. I have to provide for my family."

Aunt May moved to embrace him from behind and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you. And Perenna loves you. You're the most responsible man I've ever known. We've been down and out before, but somehow we survive. Where is Perenna anyway? She's late."

Aunt May started for the kitchen when the front door opened and Uncle Ben quickly flipped the paper away from the want ads. "Here she is."

"Just in time for diner." Aunt May added.

"How was the field trip?" Uncle Ben asked.

"Don't feel well…gonna got to sleep." Perenna said quietly.

Aunt May moved to the table. "You won't have a bite?"

Perenna looked at her in complete surprise, silently wondering if her aunt might be psychic before she staggered up the stairs. "…no thanks…had a bite."

"Did you get some good pictures Perenna?" Uncle Ben asked.

"…gotta crash…everything's fine." Perenna continued up the stairs and slammed the door to her bedroom as she went in.

"What was that all about?" Uncle Ben questioned aloud.

Aunt May moved to the base of the stairs. "She's a teenager."

"She's depressed." Uncle Ben contradicted.

"She's a teenager." Aunt May argued.

"I better go up." Uncle Ben said.

"Stay put. She'll let us know if she needs help." Aunt May assured.

In Perenna's bedroom, the teenager girl dropped to her knees and clutched her abdomen in pain. "Help…" she gasped.

She fell to the floor, writhing in agony. She looked at the spot the spider bit, which is now completely red and swollen. Drenched in sweat, she started to shake uncontrollably with chills, trembling violent, face pale, eyes black and sunken, with her teeth chattering. Her eyes roll up into the back of her head as she passed out, under the lids, her eyes flickering crazily.


	4. Chapter 4

Morning of a brand new day. A _very_ brand new day.

Perenna woke up, morning sunlight streaming in through her window and hit s her in the face. she hadn't moved from the position she collapsed in on the floor, but as she orients herself, she seemed to feel better.

Carefully, she stretched her legs and took a few deep breaths. She definitely felt a lot better. Her eyes got her alarm clock and she sees that she's late. She grabbed her glasses, put them on, and walked right into her chair, tumbling to the floor.

She got up again, and put her glasses on again. She looked into the vanity mirror on the wall and squinted. Everything was fuzzy now. She took them off, and it's 20/20 vision. She tried once more to make sure this was for real. It was. She could _see. _"Weird." She muttered and shrugged.

She took her tee-shirt off and walked away from the mirror. She paused suddenly and her eye widened and jumped back in front of the mirror aghast. She looked almost completely different body wise. While she was stick think before, now she was perfectly portioned with some healthy muscle on her arms. And her eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she looked at her chest. While not overly large, her chest was still a bit on the large scale.

Perenna let out a scream, now being able to finally stop wearing clothes that made her look incredibly geeky. Puny Parker was no more!

Her moment ended as there was a knock at her door. "Perenna? Are you alright?"

"Fine! I'm fine. Just fine!" Perenna called back gleefully.

"Any better this morning? Any change?" Aunt May asked.

Perenna grinned as she tossed her glasses into the trash can in her room. "Change! Yes! Yes…big change!"

Perenna opened her closet and quickly put on some new Levi's jeans and reset the straps of her bra, before putting on a dark blue shirt that previously would've been baggy on her thin frame, but now filled it out to show off her feminine curves.

She turned to grab her brush, but as she was brushing it back into a French Twist, she looked through her window to see M.J also finishing up brushing her hair. She picked up her purse and darted out of her room.

Perenna put the clip in and quickly moved of her room. Perenna went bounding down the stair and leaped over the banister, landing with acrobatic grace behind Uncle Ben. She saw the breakfast Aunt May had prepared on the table and went for it, eating what she can get as she grabbed her backpack.

"Hi. Gotta go." She said.

Uncle Ben looked at her in surprise. "We thought you were sick."

Perenna chewed her food and swallowed as it wasn't polite to speak with one's mouth full. "I was. I got better."

"Sit down, dear." Aunt May insisted.

"Can't. See you later." Perenna said and headed for the door.

"Don't forget, we're painting the kitchen today. Home right after school, right?" Uncle Ben asked.

"Sure thing, Uncle Ben, don't start up without me." Perenna said and she was out the door, full of teenage energy and hoping to meet up with M.J.

"What was that about?" Aunt May questioned.

"She ate my bacon." Uncle Ben said blankly noticing the plate was empty.

Perenna had just gone out the door as M.J left hers. Her father, Mr. Watson, a hung over man of forty or so, shouted after her, with Mrs. Watson behind her.

"I don't care what you're mother said. It's not okay with me. You're trash. You'll always be trash. Just like her." Mr. Watson shouted.

"I have to go to school." M.J said fast-walking away.

"Who's stopping ya?" Mr. Watson said waving dismissively.

"Leave her alone." Mrs. Watson rebuked.

M.J ran to the sidewalk, holding back her tears and Perenna hurried after her. Perenna paced her, on the opposite side of the street, though M.J didn't see her.

"Talk to her…talk to her." Perenna whispered to herself, but she doesn't because she noticed M.J wiping away her tears.

A horn honked and a car full of her girlfriends pulled up next to her. Perenna watched M.J's face transform as she put on a mask of happiness and jumped into the car. Perenna watched the car roar away, but started giving chase after the school bus as it went right past her.

She reached out to the side of it, ponding on it to get the bus to stop. Her hand touched a "Go Wildcats!" school banner that's pinned on the side of the bus. But as the bus accelerated, her hand _sticks_ to it, tearing the banner right off the bus.

_'What the hell?'_ she thought and tried to unstick the banner from her hand, but every time she tried, the banner sticks to the other. She tried to throw it off, wrestle it off, but she soon got fed up with it and put it under her shoe and pulled, the banner finally coming off.

Perenna stared at her hands, happy the banner is off, but also really confused. She learns otherwise that the banner isn't giving up so easily as she took a step and that banner is stuck to her foot. She tried to shake it off, but her feet get tangled in it and she crashed to the ground.

* * *

><p>In the Midtown High Cafeteria, Perenna approached a table with an absurdly overladen tray of food. She noticed people had stopped staring at her since they got over their shock of seeing Perenna looking so different. She sat down and M.J slipped past her on her way to her group.<p>

Just as she passed, and slipped on a puddle of spilled milk, Perenna feels the strangest sensation come over her and she reacted almost automatically out in front of M.J, catching her tray with her left hand and dropping her right shoulder just enough for her to grab onto.

M.J regained her balance and looked impressed. "Wow. Great reflexes!" Perenna shrugged a little freaked out that she did it ether, and M.J took her tray back. "Thanks."

"No problem." Perenna said.

"Hey, you have blue eyes." M.J pointed out. "I never noticed without your glasses. You just get contact?"

_'No, just practically new everything.'_ Perenna thought, but instead said, "Uh huh."

There was an awkward pause as Perenna was once again speechless.

"Well, see ya." M.J said and walked off across the cafeteria. She looked back over her shoulder, smiled and sat at crowded, popular table right next to Flash Thompson, and her girlfriends.

Perenna sat back down at her table and began to eat. Actually, she began to chow. Feeling thirsty she set down her fork, but its stuck to her hand. _'What the hell?' _she thought and tried to pull it free with her other hand, but a _long gooey strand_ stretches from her hand to the fork and it dangles.

Perenna tried to separate the fork from the strand, but nothing. She tried harder, and _another_ strand shot out from her other hand. This one flew out onto a girl's tray. She didn't notice as she's talking to her friend on her right.

Shocked, Perenna stood up and backed away, whipping her arm back, trying to pull free of the strand. But her movement yanked the girl's tray off the table. Sending it flying toward Perenna and she ducked, the tray sailing over her head.

Finally free of the strand, Perenna turned relieve, and saw Flash Thompson wearing the girl' lunch. M.J is covering her mouth, laughing at Flash but trying to hide it. Perenna swallowed and one's that one can _hear._

"Parker?" Flash yelled.

Perenna, horrified, turned and hurried out of the cafeteria. Just outside the cafeteria, Perenna stopped next to a row of lockers, breathing hard, surreptitiously checking out the undersides of her wrists, trying to figure out what was going on.

For the first time, she noticed two almost invisible _slits_ in her skin, one on each wrist. Those definitely _weren't_ there yesterday she dropped her arms and pulled her sleeves down as far over her wrists as they can go.

Suddenly, her features jolt as she's slammed again with the strangest sensation she's ever felt. Everything and everyone surrounding her slows to a crawl and it's as if she's suddenly seeing outside herself in 360 degree peripheral vision.

And what she's sees in the back of her is a fist, Flash Thompson's fist, closing in on Perenna's head in slow motion. A quickly as the strange vision kicked in, it was gone and she whipped around and darted to the side, a split-second ahead of Flash's thrown punch, which bangs into the locker where Perenna was standing.

"Think you're pretty funny, don't you, Freak?" Flash yelled and Perenna winced, knowing exactly what he was referring to.

M.J ran in. "It was an accident!"

"I'm sorry." Perenna apologized. "It really was."

"My fist breaking your teeth, _that's_ the accident." Flash retorted.

Two of his cronies close the classroom door on either side of the hall, to block that view of the teacher within.

"I don't want to fight you, Flash." Perenna said.

"I wouldn't want to fight me neither." Flash replied.

A crowd forms around them and Flash takes two more swings, but Perenna evades them, and _fast_, leaving Flash puzzled.

Sensing an attack from behind, Perenna suddenly ducked. One of Flash's cronies, who was sneaking up on her, is left grabbing air. Perenna stood and flipped the guy off his back. More students form a crowd, and Harry Osborn, coming down the hall from the other direction, joined them.

Enraged, Flash roared and lunged at Perenna. Perenna ducked one, two, three, four punches, never moving her feet, just darting her torso around so fast it looks like she's a blur.

Harry, impressed, gave a look to the person standing next to him, who happened to be M.J. Harry turned back to the fight, then does a double take back at M.J as she returned the look.

"Harry, please help her." She said.

"I don't think she needs any help." Harry replied.

Flash again lunged at Perenna and she threw a punch that landed solidly on Flash's jaw and sent him sailing back against the lockers, hard. He slumped to the floor unconscious.

"Jesus, Parker, you knocked him out!" The crony yelled.

Perenna gasped, shocked, but thrilled at her own strength.

A student arrived on the and stepped forward for w better view. "Parker did that?" he questioned gesturing to the unconscious Flash. "Yeah right."

Flash moaned and lifted his head, revealing his face, covered in blood. The crowd groaned and a few kids went over to Flash, who was now suddenly a sympathetic figure.

Perenna looked at Flash's battered face, then at her hands. She started to back away, aware and terrified of her newfound strength. She turned on her heels and took off down the hall.

* * *

><p>Perenna is walking along a street and looked down at her fading spider bite. <em>'What's happening to me?'<em> she turned down an alley and saw a glorious spider web that's been spun between a dumpster and the alley wall, sunlight glinting off the fresh strands.

Perenna looked around; she's alone. She reached out to the alley wall and as his fingers draw close, she is unaware of the tiny microscopic hairs that have leapt out of her pores and cling to the wall. Slowly, tentatively, Perenna began to _walk up the wall_, her hands clinging like suction cups.

Her face filled with excitement as she climbed up the rest of the wall and began leaping over alleyways from rooftop to rooftop.

Her joy is short-lived as she pulled up short on one roof and sees it is too far for her to jump to the next one. She looked down at her wrist and saw the narrow slit. Getting an idea, she turned, and pointed her wrist at a taller building across the alley.

She wiggled her wrist, tried to get the goop to spray to come out, but it doesn't come. She made a fist, nothing. She closed her thumb and pinky together, nothing. She rotated her hands so the palm faced up, extended all five fingers, and brought her ring and middle finger towards her palm, together.

_THWIP_

A single strand of webbing shoots out from her wrist, straight up. Perenna frowned, and tried to direct it more. This time the webbing flew across the alley and stuck to the side other the building. Perenna tugged on it. It's _tough_, and she pulled harder. It didn't break. She wrapped one hand around it to double strength, closed her eyes, muttered a prayer and jumped off the roof.

She sailed through the air, comes in for a landing on the other building and _SPLAT_. She clings there with her hand and feet crushed against the brick. Learning really does hurt apparently.

* * *

><p>Perenna comes into the kitchen at home, exhausted and confused. She sniffed the air and smelled something funny. She touched the wall, and comes up with paint on her fingers, and then noticed the bucket and drop cloth folded in the corner of the room. She saw a note on the ladder:<p>

"Meatloaf and vegetables in the oven, Cherry pie on the shelf. We've gone to play bridge at the Anderson's."

"Oh, shoot." Perenna whispered to herself.

A shout from next door distracted her and went over to the window. She can see M.J's house, just across the narrow driveway. She can see the silhouettes moving in their window; a man, a woman, and teenager shouting at each other. She turned away and took the trash outside.

M.J bangs through to the outside of the screen door and into her postage-stamp backyard, trying to ignore the chaos in that house, _her_ house. She's angry, ready to cry, yet held it back. She turned and saw Perenna standing there in her own yard, on the other side of the fence and is caught staring at her.

"Oh, hi." Perenna said embarrassed.

"Were you listening to that?" M.J questioned sharply.

"No! Yeah!" Perenna said rattled. "I heard something, but wasn't listening. To what?"

"I guess you can always hear us." M.J said downtrodden.

"No, I was just taking out the trash." Perenna replied hastily.

"You always do your chores, don't you Perenna?" M.J questioned.

"Well…" Perenna trailed off uncertainly.

"I'm sorry we do that all the time." M.J replied. "Your aunt and uncle never scream."

Perenna shrugged. "Oh, they can scream pretty good, you know?"

"So…where to after you graduate?" M.J asked.

"I thought I'd go into the city, get a job as a photographer, work my way through college." Perenna responded. "What about you?"

"Headed for the city, too. I can't wait to get out of here. I'd…oh, I don't know…"M.J trailed off.

"Try me." Perenna prompted.

"_I_ want to…act…on stage. Be an actress." M.J replied slowly.

Perenna smiled. "Hey, that's great, you were really awesome in all the school plays, Mary Jane."

"Really?" M.J questioned.

"Yeah. I cried like a baby when you played Cinderella." Perenna said.

M.J stared at her somewhat flatly. "Perenna , that was first grade."

"Well, even so, you know how sometimes you can know something, like what's going to be. Like feel what's around you, what's coming?" Perenna questioned.

"Sometimes." M.J answered.

"And you can just see things coming that aren't exactly there, but you just believe?" Perenna continued.

"What do you see for you?" M.J asked.

"I'm not sure, but it feel like something I've never felt before, whatever it is." Perenna answered truthfully.

"And what for me?" M.J asked.

"You?" Perenna repeated. "You're…why, you're gonna…light up Broadway."

There is silence between them before M.J breaks it. "You know, you're taller than you look."

"I hunch." Perenna replied shrugging.

M.J reached out, put her hand on Perenna's arm and straightened her up so she stands just a little taller than M.J. "Don't. Hunch."

Perenna feels like her heart is going a million miles an hour.

Suddenly loud shouting comes from M.J's house again and a horn honked. In the driveway, Flash is in his new car and M.J peered around the corner of the house.

"Hey M.J. come take a ride in my birthday present?" he asked.

M.J looked torn as she looked back at Perenna. "Thanks, Perry. I gotta go." She grinned, and with a wave, she leaves.

Perenna watched as Flash showed the car to M.J, who 'oohs' and 'ahhs,' and Flash put down the top. They hop inside and the car squealed away, M.J laughing as her hair blows in the wind.

Perenna watched the car disappear, looking downcast. Then she seemed to remember something as she raises her arm and makes a muscle. She hurried back inside and ran up to her room.

Her bulletin board with snapshots she's taken at school events and of her aunt and uncle. There also a framed photo of her and her parents from when she was 4.

She opened a crinkled newspaper to show a big ad for used cars. Perenna looked at them wistfully and turned the page to see another ad:

Attention Amateur Wrestlers!  
>THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS<br>For just three minutes in _the ring!_  
>Colorful Characters a MUST!<p>

Perenna ripped the ad from the paper and has a plan. Once she thought it over, she got out her sketch pad and drew the outline of a human figure and various costume possibilities. She drew a pair of wings on the figure.

"A spider with wings?" Perenna muttered to herself dubiously. She crumpled up the picture and started over. She tried antennae, hated it, and threw that design away too.

She drew some web-type lines over the face and arms, and draws the eyes. Jack o'lantern ovals with upturned edges.

* * *

><p>Two empty glass bottles stand on a book case on the far side of Perenna's bedroom. SPLAT! A web strand fires toward them, and missed by a mile.<p>

Perenna, who's sitting on the opposite side of the room, frowned and tried again. SPLAT! Another wild miss. She looked down at her wrist in thought and heard a knock at her door.

"Perenna? What's going on in there?" Aunt May's voice questioned through the door.

Perenna opened it slightly and peeked out. "Exercising…not dressed, Aunt May."

"Well, don't catch a cold." Aunt May advised.

Perenna closed the door and turned around to see her room is full of webs. She takes her sketch pad out again, and decides to makes something that will help with her aim, a web shooter.

* * *

><p>Sparks flew. Perenna had dismantled several Zippo lighters, watches, and assorted old jewelry and is silver-soldering them back together in a new way. She picked one up and blows on the solder. She glanced out the window and sees M.J's silhouette, dancing and acting being free.<p>

Later on, Perenna picked up the finished contraption and put it around her wrist, right over her biological spinnerets. He turned her chair, aims her wrist across the room, now with the bracelet, takes aim and SPLAT!

Scores a direct hit on a can of Jolt Cola on the nightstand. She spun around fast in the chair and fires a web under her arm, as if snuck up from behind.

SMACK! She hit a plaster lamp and snags it. She yanked it toward her, and only then seemed to remember that this would _hurt_ if it hit her. So she ducked and the lamp hit the wall instead and shattered.

Perenna is both thrilled to have gotten her aim down, but is also nervous because the crash was loud and there's a pounding on the wall shortly after.

"What are you doing in there?" Uncle Ben yelled.

Perenna quickly thought of something. "Studying!"


	5. Chapter 5

Even at night, OsCorp's smokestacks still spew foul black clouds into the air. The OsCorp lab is deserted though, except for one area. It's glass walled isolation chamber, glowing ominously in the middle of the floor. Inside it, there's a man moving furtively, anxiously, preparing for a test.

Inside the tank, Stromm and Norman Osborn are making preparations for an experiment.

"Mr. Osborn, please, I'm asking you for the last time…" Stromm said.

"Don't be a coward." Osborn retorted. "Risks are part of laboratory science."

Stromm continued trying to get Osborn to reconsider. "Let me reschedule this with a proper medical staff and a volunteer. If you just give me two weeks…"

"In two weeks this project, this company, will be dead." Osborn retorted. "Sometimes you have to do things yourself. Give me the barium phosphate."

"Sir?" Stromm questioned.

"Decreases nausea when the vapor hits the bloodstream." Osborn replied and Stromm, with a heavy sigh, gave him the phosphate. "Forty thousand years of human evolution and we've barely even tapped the vastness of human potential." He said before drinking it. "To the final realization of man's true physical and intellectual capability." He nodded and Stromm and laid down on the gurney.

ZIP! A restraining strap is tightened across his leg. CLICK! Another restraining buckle snapped around his waist.

Dr. Mendel Stromm hit the switches and a motor hums, and the steel gurney slides into the tank and is rotated up to vertical level. Outside the tank, Mendel Stromm popped switches and levers on the vast console outside the glass tank, making last second checks on the battery of the monitors in front of him. He grabbed a hold of a set of controls.

A thick noxious green gas rises up from the petri dish. Heavy, but still lighter than air, the gas creeps up, swirling around Osborn's feet. Over his legs, over his groin, creeping up his chest, and tickling over his chin. In spite of himself, Osborn held his breath.

The green cloud enveloped his head and he forced himself to open his mouth. He drew in a tiny bit of air, and the gas seemed to leap into his mouth, as if it had a mind of its own. Osborn panicked, and choked on it for a moment.

But then he calmed himself to breath normally, the gas flowing in and out of his nostrils, and Stromm peered in through the glass, monitoring every second.

"I-" Osborn started, but suddenly his whole body started to convulse, seized by spasms, his fingertips, his teeth and his eyes show only white.

On the monitor, his body functions go crazy and Stromm worked the controls frantically. Flat line, all across the monitors. Stromm slammed his hand down on a red button and the giant vacuum vents in the ceiling roared to life, sucking the green gas up and out of the room.

Stromm raced to the door, as soon as the gas is gone the security latch clunked open, he shoved his way inside, goes over to Osborn, unstrapped him, ripped his shirt open and begins emergency procedures. Suddenly, behind him he heard a shrieking sound and Stromm turned as the monitors go crazy, heart rate spiking up to 226, blood pressure bangs, respiration pows, and every single graph and scale chart registers at or near its peak, beeping and whooping.

Inside the tank, Osborn's eyes popped open and he leaped to his feet, terrified. He ripped the sensors off his chest, as when Stromm tried to restrain, him Osborn roared and batted Stromm across the chamber with just one arm.

But Stromm just doesn't go across the room, he hurled through the wall of glass of the chamber, which explodes in a shower of glass as Stromm's body hits it. Stromm kept flying, sailing across the lab, smashing into a pillar on the far side, some fifty feet away. He sagged to the floor, blood pooling under his head.

Osborn staggered through the broken wall of the tank, and stepped across the rubble to tower over Stromm's lifeless body.

* * *

><p>In Osborn's lavish apartment, there is a collection of masks of all kinds. Ancient, tribal, hideous, garish masks. The evidence of violent warfare. Norman sat bedraggled, dressed in yesterday's clothes, looking dazed an disoriented.<p>

Harry, who's ready for school, a back pack over his shoulder walked past the room and back tracked. He looked in and entered. "Dad? What is it, dad?"

Osborn looked at him blearily. "Harry."

"You look sick. What's happened?" Harry asked in concern.

"I don't know…" Osborn said sincerely.

Harry kneeled before him. "Where were you last night, in didn't hear you come in."

"I was…last night I was…" Osborn trailed off.

"What?" Harry prompted.

"I don't remember." Osborn replied.

Voices echoed from the hallway and Simkins briskly walked down the hallway as she argued with Osborn's houseman. "I have to see him."

"He can't be disturbed now." The houseman said.

"Who's there?" Osborn called.

"This can't wait." Simkins said and called out, "Mr. Osborn!" as she came into the room.

"My father's not well, Mrs. Simkins." Harry said.

"Mr. Osborn. Dr. Stromm is dead." Simkins said.

"What?" Osborn questioned.

"His body was found this morning in the laboratory. He was murdered, sir." Simkins explained.

"Murdered?" Harry repeated.

Osborn got to his feet. "What are you talking about?"

"And the flying wing prototype, sir…" Simkins said.

"What about it?" Osborn asked.

"It's missing." Simkins replied. "It's been stolen."

Silence ensued and Osborn is shocked. He moved quickly out of the room. "Take me there." He said exiting. Harry remained behind for a moment before following after them.

* * *

><p>In the Parker home, Perenna moved quickly moved down the stairs and into the living room where Uncle Ben and Aunt May is. Perenna holds her bag and moved quickly to the door and started to open it. "." She rushed out.<p>

"Hold on! I'll drive you." Uncle Ben said.

"It's okay. I'll take the train." Perenna said as Uncle Ben grabbed his jacket and keys.

"I said I'll drive you." Uncle Ben repeated. "Get in the car."

Perenna then shrugged after a moment and moved out of the house, Ben followed, turning for a second to wink at Aunt May.

* * *

><p>An Oldsmobile Delta '88 pulled over at the cub in front of the public library of New York. Uncle Ben is at the wheel, Perenna in the passenger seat and is ready to get out.<p>

"Thanks for the ride." Perenna said.

"Hold on a minute…We need to talk." Uncle Ben said and Perenna looked at him.

"About what?" she asked.

"You're not the same girl lately. Fights in school, shirking your chores, you barely sat a word to me or your aunt-what's the story?" Uncle Ben asked in concern.

Perenna subconsciously pulled her sleeve down over her wrists. She just _couldn't_ say anything. "There's no story."

"You're changing, and that's normal." Uncle Ben assured. "This is the age when a teen becomes the adult their gonna be for the rest of their life. Just be careful who you change into. Okay?"

"I feel all this, all this _power_, but I don't know what it means, or how to control it, or what I'm supposed to do with it, even." Perenna said.

"You'll figure it out. You're one smart cookie, always have been. But knowledge is power. And with great power comes great responsibility." Uncle Ben replied. "Don't ever forget that."

"Yeah, yeah, I know all that, it's not what I'm talking about." Perenna retorted. "You wouldn't understand."

"Wanna bet?" Uncle Ben challenged. "Look, I may not know what you're going through with your lifestyle choice, but-"

"No, you don't, but that's not what this is about." Perenna bristled. "Isn't it just _possible_ that something unique is happening to me, isn't it?"

"Believe it or not, it passes." Uncle Ben said. "You'll grow out of it."

Perenna bristled again. "I'm _not_ gonna grow…just drop it." She huffed angrily. "I'll figure it out myself."

"Look, if you won't give me so as a clue, I can't help you." Uncle Ben reasoned.

"I didn't ask for help." Perenna muttered.

"I know I'm not your father, Perenna…" Uncle Ben was cut off by Perenna.

"Then stop pretending to be." She snapped.

She stiffened and wished she hadn't said anything as Uncle Ben's expression was one of hurt before he looked away. "I'll pick you up on this corner at nine o'clock."

Perenna wanted to say something to make thing right, but can't, so just climbed out of the car, holding a brown paper bag, and closed the door. She started to walk up the steps of the library and watched the Oldsmobile pull out into traffic.

"I'm sorry." Perenna whispered to the disappearing car.

She turned around and went back down the steps of the library and headed off in the other direction.

* * *

><p>Perenna watched from the area as an amateur wrestler is slammed into the floor of a wrestling ring into the middle of a hot, dusty area. The crowd went wild as Bone Saw McGraw, a man of six foot nine, and three hundred pounds of pure muscle, climbed to the top of the tumbuckle. He leaped and delivered a crushing flying elbow to his opponents chest.<p>

Perenna grimaced before going to change into her costume and went to wait in the lineup row. She noticed with some trepidation that she is a lot leaner and smaller than the other wrestlers. Perenna Parker watched the wrestler in front of her leave and she moved up.

The check-in lady gave her a once over. "There's no feather-weight division here small fry. Next."

"No, no, I know." Perenna acknowledged.

"Okay…you understand the NYWL is not responsible for any injuries you may…" The check-in lady gave Perenna another once over. "…and probably _will_ sustain while participating in said event and that you are, at sub 150 pounds, indeed participating under your own free will?"

"Yes." Perenna answered.

"Down the hall and up the ramp." The check-in lady instructed. "And may God be with you."

Perenna nodded and turned to exit down the hall. She walked toward a scrim at the end of the hall, just separating her from the ring. She felt the fabric covering her face itch and was reconsidering wear something that covered all of her face but her eyes. _'Too late to change it now.'_ She thought despondently as she heard the ring announcer begin to speak.

"Are you ready for more?" he yelled and repeated it in a louder voice. "I said; are we ready for more?"

"MORE, MORE, MORE!" The crowd yelled.

"Bonesaw's ready!" The voice of Bonesaw yelled.

"Will the next victim please enter the ring at this time!" The announcer yelled and Perenna figured this was her turn. "If they can withstand just three minutes in the cage with Bone Saw McGraw…the sum of three thousand dollars will be paid to…" The announcer looked behind the curtain and covered the microphone with his hand. "Hey, kid, what's your name?"

"The Human Spider." Perenna said with her voice slightly muffled, but still clear enough to tell that she's female.

The ring announcer looked slightly taken back, at her name and probably the fact it's an actual girl fighting. "The Human Spider? That's the best you got?"

Perenna shrugged haplessly, feeling foolish for not coming up with a better name. "Yeah."

"Nah, you gotta jazz it up a little." The ring announcer said and spoke back into the microphone. "…the sun of three thousand dollars will be paid to…" The curtain opened, and the spotlight swung over to where Perenna is standing behind the black scrim. "…the terrifying…the deadly!...THE AMAZING!..." As the announcer built up the hype, the scrim began to rise and Perenna gulped. "…SPIDER-WOMAN!"

With the scrim gone, Perenna is revealed to be wearing a homemade costume made of old sweatpants, a sweatshirt with what appeared to have a red spider design that looked spray painted on, and a Balaclava.

"That's the "Human Spider."" Perenna said to the announcer.

"Get out there, girly." The announcer retorted.

A PA gave Perenna a shove and she took in the arena, and the crowd for the first time. She's frozen, paralyzed by the spectacle before her as the situation set in. Still, she cautiously made her way toward the ring. The Bonettes waited like hungry wolves on the ramp and they mercilessly heckle her as she goes, taunted her, and egged on the crowd to do the same as there had been skeptical muttering of this 'little girl' actually being the next contestant.

A gurney with the previous contestant on it went rolling by, the man howling with agony. "I can't feel my legs…I can't feel my legs…"

Perenna watched as he was wheeled away, before cautiously continuing and crawled into the ring, and looked around. But then-

"CAGE! CAGE! CAGE!" The crowd screamed.

Perenna scanned the crowd, did they just say _cage?_ She looked up to see a flat surface with metal bars dropping from the ceiling, its sides folding in, forming a cage which sets down on the ring.

"Will the guards please lock the cage doors!" The announcer instructed.

Perenna flinched as stage hands wrapped huge metal chains around the corners of the cage, locking the combatants in. "Hey, wait a minute…" she said grabbing a bar and testing the metal.

"Freak show!" Bonesaw yelled. Perenna looked behind her and saw Bonesaw standing in the center of the ring. "You're not going nowhere! I've got you for three minutes…three minutes of playtime."

Perenna flattened herself against the bars. _'What am I doing here?_'

Bonesaw rushed at Spider-Woman, and lunged at her, but she leaped up and clung to the top of the cage, just as Bonesaw crashed into the bars and crashed to the ground. Bonesaw got up and looked up at Spider-Woman. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Staying away from you for three minutes." Spider-Woman retorted.

Bonesaw leaped up furiously, but so did Spider-Woman, as she leaped across the cage, clung to the wall and dropped the ground.

"Yeah! Go Spider-Woman!" The crowd yelled.

Go _Spider-Woman?_ Not Bonesaw? She looked around at the cheering crowd and turned back in time to see Bonesaw about to grab her. She leaped and did a one-handed handstand on Bonesaw's head. She grinned and felt her confidence growing. "Not a bad costume, what is, that, Spandex? I used Lycra for mine and I'm thinking I should've made a better choice 'cause it itches like crazy."

Bonesaw swatted at her and grabbed her leg. "I got you know insect!" he yelled and thrashed her about, pitching her against the cage and Spider-Woman fell to the ground.

"Oww." She groaned and Bonesaw dragged her over to the ring corner. "You know technically it's arachnid."

A shadow fell over her and she looked up to see Bonesaw flying at her, prostate, with a flying elbow. Spider-Woman's eyes went wide and she flipped her feet up just in time to place them on Bonesaw's chest, kicking him into the cage. Bonesaw slumped to the ground, knocked out cold. The crowd freaked out and flashbulbs pop.

"Spider-Woman! Spider-Woman! Spider-Woman!" The crowd chanted.

Spider-Woman looked around the crowd before raising her arms triumphantly. "Ahhh…showbiz."


	6. Chapter 6

In the administrator's office, the promoter put a single hundred dollar bill into Spider-Woman's hand(since Perenna is still in costume.)

"Now get outta here…" The promoter said.

"A hundred bucks?" Spider-Woman said angrily. "The ad said three thousand!"

"Check it again, webhead." The promoter retorted. "It said three grand for three minutes and you pinned him in two. For that I'll give you a hundred, and you're lucky to get it. You made my best fighter look like a girl out there. And the offence to you is intended!"

Enraged, Spider-Woman grabbed the guy by the shirt collar and pulled him closer. "I _need_ that money!" she hissed.

"I missed the part where that's _my_ problem." The promoter said coolly.

Spider-Woman stared at him for a long moment, burning with rage, she wanted to bust this guy right in the nose, but instead let the guy go, turned and left, passing a squirrelly-looking man on the way, the guy's hair dyed platinum blonde.

Spider-Woman walked away down the corridor, clutching the lousy hundred dollar bill, muttering under her breath. She's nearly to the elevator when she heard a shout from behind her.

"Hey! What the hell you-"

She turned, as the door to the promoters office banged open hard, shattering the glass and the squirrelly man raced out, clutching a canvas bag, and she can only guess that it's filled with money.

"Help!" The promoter yelled. "That guy stole the gate, _he's got _my_ money!"_

A security guard approached from one end of the corridor. The elevator ding behind Spider-Woman and as it started to open, the man took off down the hallway to it.

"Hey, you! Stop that guy!" The security guard yelled.

Spider-Woman looked up at the man racing straight at her, then at the security guard giving then at the opening elevator behind her. She thought, debated, and the vengeful side of her won as she took a step back, letting the thief race right past her and into the elevator.

"Thanks pal." The man said.

The door closed and the security guard arrived only to slam his fist against the elevator doors and looked at Spider-Woman. "What the hell's the matter with you? You just let him_ go_!"

The promoter came rushing up out of the office, a large red welt growing on his cheek. "You could've taken that guy apart! Now he's gonna get away with my money!"

"I missed the part where this is _my_ problem." Spider-Woman said vindictively.

Feeling vindicated, she turned away, and walked down the corridor.

* * *

><p>As night fell, Perenna walked the street toward the library, dressed in her street clothes again. She looked around for Uncle Ben's car. Perenna stood on the corner where Ben said he'd pick her up and looked to the left. Nope, not there yet.<p>

A police car raced by her, the siren wailing, and headed for the far corner. There's also an ambulance siren in the BG.

Perenna took interest and moved across the street. As she walked closer, her brow furrowed as two and two came together in her mind in a bad way. She walked faster and faster and elbowed her way through the swelling a the back of the ground, then to the middle as a desperate conviction grew in her mind. She thrashed and broke through to the front and looked down at the ground, where police officers stood over a body.

"UNCLE BEN!" Perenna screamed and lunged forward, but the cops stop her and pull her back.

"Hang on, hang on!" One cop said.

"My uncle! That's my uncle!" Perenna shouted.

"That's not gonna help him!" Another cop shouted.

"What happened?" Perenna demanded.

"Carjacker. He's been shot." The first cop stated.

Frantically, Perenna reached for her uncle.

"Hold on, kid! You can't help the guy!" The second cop said.

"The guy?" Perenna repeated angrily. "He's not the guy! He's my uncle!" she yelled and pushed the cops away from her. She moved to Ben, kneeled and put his head on her lap. "Uncle Ben! Uncle Ben! It's me, Perenna!"

Ben opened his eyes, his mouth forming into a smile, the word "Peren.."makes it out halfway before his eyes close and he dies. Perenna cried holding him as sirens continued to blare in the BG. Behind her, she hears a third cop talk,

"They got the shooter! He's headed south on Fifth Avenue!"

Perenna stiffened and her face became very stony as a need for vengeance fills her mind.

* * *

><p>An exaggerated shadow fell on the brick wall of an alley and a woman tears off her clothes violently revealing her costume underneath and the shadow grew bigger as the woman started to run, suddenly leaping high into the air, and sailing toward the building in front of her.<p>

Though not wearing the itching mask now, Spider-Woman climbed straight up the building and she climbed higher and higher until she goes over the roof's edge. Spider-Woman jumped backwards, grabbing a flag pole, swinging on it, allowing her momentum to hurl her to the next building which she scaled quickly.

On the roof, she scanned the horizon. She saw a cluster of police car lights screaming down Fifth Avenue in pursuit. Spider-Woman raised her right arm, palm up and _THNIP! _A silver strand of webbing shoots out across the street and Spider-Woman wrapped her hand around it before leaping, swinging through the city, held up the strength of the tensile web.

Spider-Woman plummeted in a terrifying arc before gracefully raising her arm again, this time the left hand and another web rocketed out onto another building and shifted her weight to the second strand, abandoning the first one in the process, and pulled herself up into a graceful arc that lead out into the Avenue.

She saw that she was swinging directly above the chase below her. She saw the Oldsmobile, Uncle Ben's car, screech around the corner and smash through a row of newspaper boxed, three police cars giving chase not far behind.

Spider-Woman followed the car unseen, the dark coloring of her clothing making a rather good camouflage against the night sky. She moved faster than the police cars and jumped onto the roof of the Oldsmobile, the wind making her hair fly about. Spider-Woman smashed her fist through the roof of the car and grabbed a hold of the carjacker's face.

The car swerved, bumped and scrapped through traffic, and cars smash through one another as the car careened through the intersection. A bullet fired through the roof of the car, and missed her by inches. Spider-Woman leapt off the roof of the car and onto a speeding truck. On top of the speeding truck, Spider-Woman stood and turned her eyes away from the Oldsmobile when she sees something else.

_'A low bridge? Aw, crap._' She thought seeing that the bridge was about neck level to her. She knew she could jump, but since the bridge was taller than her and she was leaner, she fell flat against the truck roof and the bridge came within inches of her back as the truck passed under the bridge.

Spider-Woman noticed that the truck was beginning to slow, so she stood up and leaped again onto the roof of the Oldsmobile. She landed right on the hood, then smashed her fist _through_ the windshield and began to spider web it. She retreated back to the hood as the carjacker lost control and the Oldsmobile smashed through the gates of a creepy-looking building near the East River.

Spider-Woman saw the front of the door getting closer and leaped onto it to avoid being crushed. She crawled inside and up the wall as the police arrive. The police cars pulsating light revealed her for a moment before fading and quickly crawled away.

As Spider-Woman crawled, she saw the outline of the carjacker and once on a metal beam, she quietly descended up-side down from a web strand. She rotated and landed softly on her feet behind the carjacker. The man though whirled around and blasted a shot at her.

Spider-Woman sensed it though and leaped onto the nearest wall, the shot smacking into the wall where she once stood. Spider-Woman leaped from wall, to ceiling, to wall, to floor, all the while being one step ahead of the bullets aimed at her.

She did an acrobatic leap and landed on the carjacker's arm, kicking the gun free. It skittered across the floor as Spider-Woman held the guy up, her smaller frame belying her strength, and she curled a fist. "This is for the man you killed." She hissed and punched the guy in the jaw.

The blow lifted the man right off his feet, knocking his stocking cap off and sent him sailing into one of the unbroken windows, which shatters when he reached impact on it. Spider-Woman leaped closer and grabbed the man again, once again pulling him to his feet and the spotlight from outside swung around to frame them in the window.

"Don't hurt me!" The carjacker yelled. "Give me a chance, lady, give me a chance!"

"DID YOU GIVE HIM A CHANCE?" Perenna snarled viciously. "THE MAN YOU KILLED? DID YOU? ANSWER ME!" Suddenly, the carjacker's face is revealed in the spotlight. His _squirrelly_ face and _platinum blonde_ hair. Perenna was frozen as she recognized the man she had stepped aside for. "No! No, not YOU!"

Perenna hurled him aside and the thief crashed against the wall and fell to the floor. She started to hyperventilate and trembled with horror as she realized the terrible truth. _She failed to stop _the_ very man that murdered her uncle!_

She remembered the security yelling at her to stop him, but she wanted vindication, so she hadn't done anything more than step aside and let the man go. Then she remembered seeing Uncle Ben's body lying in the street.

Perenna, blind with rage and overwhelming guilt, stalked toward the man who had recovered his gun, but she didn't care and continued on, the man backing up with every step she took. The man pulled the trigger, only to hear the empty _click_. The man back up more, tripped and crashed through a window.

Perenna lunged forward and tried to grab him, but misses and the man fell fifty feet, smashing into a wooden dock below, dead, and the money fluttered around the body in the canvas bag. Out on the river, a police boat chugged into view and a spotlight landed on Perenna, they were only able to catch a glimpse of her as she covered her face as the spotlight flashed on it.

"YOU, FREEZE!" A cop yelled. "DON'T MOVE! WE'VE GOT THE PLACE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED!" The cops raised their guns to fire, but Perenna disappeared from the window, headed _up_ and by the time the rest of the lights hit the building, Perenna is gone.

She quickly left the creepy-building and made her way up a nearby building and climbed out onto a stone gargoyle and dropped her head in her hands. All sound slipped away from her ears as she whispered, "Uncle Ben…" as the tears slid down her face, "Oh God, I'm so sorry…"

Alone on a stone gargoyle, she is silhouetted by the moonlight on the night she will never forget.

* * *

><p>Perenna stood at the front door. She toke a deep breath and entered, seeing Aunt May in her bathroom, and she could only guess that she's been waiting up all this time. Perenna gulped and told her the bad news. Seeing her reaction, Perenna moved to hug her.<p>

* * *

><p>At the sight of Quest Aerospace's testing grounds a bunker sat buried in the middle of nowhere, warning signs posted all around its perimeter:<p>

PROVING GROUNDS  
>QUEST AEROSPACE CORP.<br>_ABSOLUTELY NO TRESPASSING!_

Rising above the signs are security personnel sporting machine guns surrounding the bunkers, which is lit up by a harsh white light. In the bunker there is a small group of military brass, headed by General Slocum and a handful of Quest Aerospace employees.

"I think you're gonna like this General. The BADGER is getting ready to fire upon its target." The project coordinator said as the brass peered out, some holding binoculars to see better.

Outside, the BADGER approached a military truck and blew it to bits, and inside General Slocum watched.

"It's got firepower, but what about armor?" he asked.

"It's vastly exceeded all external stress tests." The project coordinator explained. "It gives as well as it takes, General."

"I want to see the figures, but if it does what you say it can, I'll sign the contract tomorrow." General Slocum promised.

"And what about your commitment to OsCorp?" The project coordinator questioned.

"Norman Osborn has continuously risked our time and money to satisfy his outrageous dreams. Nothing would please me more than to put him out of business." General Slocum explained as a faint whine sounded outside.

"What's that?" A young employee asked.

"Something's headed for the BADGER." The project coordinator.

A figure flashed past the BADGER and its blown to smithereens. The security personnel raise their machine guns and fire bursts into the sky at the unseen object. They are mowed down from a hail of rockets that streak from the sky.

The military brass are shocked at what had just occurred.

"What the hell was that?" General Slocum questioned.

There's a faint whine is heard again and it grew louder, like the sound of a turbine engine working hard. The whining sound crescendos, zooming right at them.

"Oh my God." General Slocum said just as the interior of the bunker is lit up in a bright flash.

There is a massive explosion in the bunker and fire along with debris shoot through the observation slits. A hideous cackle sounded and growing fainter as it disappeared into the night.

* * *

><p>Out in an outside amphitheater, hundreds of mortarboards fly into the air and a great cheer rose up from the bare-headed high school students on their graduation day.<p>

In the crowd the graduates swarm everywhere, hooking up with their parents. Norman Osborn and Aunt May, separate from one another and are searching for their own kids.

Meanwhile, Perenna is looking for Aunt May when she saw Harry. Filled with joy, she hugged her best friend. "We made it buddy!"

Said friend was momentarily taken back by Perenna's sudden display of affection, considering how downcast she had been. "Good news." He said giving her a hug back. "My father owns a building downtown with an empty loft he said we could have. Why not move in with me when you get to the city?"

Perenna paused as her face twisted up anxiously. "I'm not sure I can afford the rent."

"We'll work something out." Harry reasoned.

Perenna eyed him critically before she crossed her fingers. "Gotta get a job first."

Not too far away, Aunt May and Norman Osborn are still searching when Aunt May spotted Norman. "Mr. Osborn…I'm May Parker, Perenna's aunt. I've heard a lot about you."

"Aunt May. How do you do? Can't find my boy." Osborn said.

Aunt May looked around and spotting Harry and Perenna still hugging, from her point it looking like something shared between close friends. To anyone else, it would've looked like something else. "There's Harry."

Upon hearing his name, Harry pulled away from Perenna and walked over with his diploma. Norman looked at him with a tight smile. "Hey, dad…" Harry said.

"You made it. It's not the first time I've been proven wrong. Congratulations." Osborn said and held out his hand and Harry took it, accepting the firm handshake.

"Thanks." He said.

Aunt May hugged him. "Congratulations, Harry."

Osborn's face suddenly lit up, noticing something over Harry's shoulder. "Ah hah! The winner of the science award."

Perenna appeared, carrying her diploma and her science award. Aunt May then hugged her too. "Here's our graduate. You two looked so wonderful up there." Perenna's face flushed, at the compliment and not at the implication anyone else would hear.

When Perenna pulled back, Osborn put his arm around her shoulder in a fatherly gesture. "I know this has been a hard time for you, but try to enjoy this day. Commencement: the end of something. The start of something new."

"Thanks, Mr. Osborn." Perenna said.

Harry watched his father stand beside Perenna before he spotted M.J and Flash in the crowd. He moved toward them as Flash put his arm around M.J but she pulled away. They share a few words before she removed something from her finger and handed it to him. Flash looked stunned, and angry before hurling it over the crowd and stalked off. Harry saw this and looked back over at Perenna, still standing next to his father, before moving to console M.J.

* * *

><p>Aunt May and Perenna have just gotten back home and Perenna is carrying her gown and moved slowly to the stairs. Aunt May held her diploma and science prize as she watched her niece walk up the stairs.<p>

"May I fix you something?" she asked.

"No thanks." Perenna replied quietly and morosely and once she was at the top of the stars, she went into her room, leaving the door ajar. She laid her gown on the bed before sitting on the side of it. She saw Aunt May appear at her door, knocking politely before entering. She looked at her, then put her diploma on her desk and her award on a shelf along with a few other awards. Aunt May moved to the bed and sat down next to Perenna patiently for her to speak.

"I missed him a lot today." She said finally.

"I know. I missed him too." Aunt May said taking Perenna's hand in her own. "But he was there."

"I just wish I hadn't-" Perenna started, but Aunt May cut her off.

"Perenna, don't start that again." She said.

"I can't help thinking about the last thing I said to him." Perenna said.

"Stop it." Aunt May admonished gently.

"He tried to tell me something important and I threw it in his face." Perenna continued.

"You loved him. And he loved you. He never doubted the woman you would grow into. How you were meant for great things. You won't disappoint him. Or me." Aunt May said and after a moment, squeezed her hand and got up to leave the room. She closed the door quietly and all the way.

Perenna got up and opened a dresser draw, she moved some sweaters out of the way and dug all the way to the bottom of the drawer where her homemade Spider-Woman costume is crumpled. She found the sketch she made of a newer costume, with a little modifications. She gets a faraway look in her eyes as she remembered Uncle Ben's words:

_"Remember…with great power comes great responsibility."_

* * *

><p>A robber raced out of a Korean deli, gun in hand, sack of money in the other. The grocer chases him out, carrying a baseball bat, the robber turned to shoot him when suddenly a web strand wrapped around the gun and yanked it sharply out of the robber's hand.<p>

Stunned, both the grocer and robber turn, only to see a shadow disappear into the night, barely seen.

* * *

><p>A cabbie is leaning against his cab and is talking to a couple of other cabbies. "This is not a woman. My brother saw it building a nest in the Lincoln Center fountain." He said with a heavy accent.<p>

* * *

><p>Police cars screech to a halt in front of a jewellery store, sirens screaming. Cops raced up to the glass doors, which had been smashed, the store's alarm wailing.<p>

The cops suddenly look up, and over the door they see the two jewellery thieves and their bags of loot caught in a web-net, dangling from a lamppost, tied up neatly for them.

* * *

><p>Two construction workers dangle their feet off a beam eating their lunch. "Have you seen her face? Her whole face? Neither have I. Wait until her husband figures out she's running around in tights."<p>

* * *

><p>A woman held her purse out, huddling before a mugger who is holding a gun on her until he's suddenly <em>gone<em>, swept up into the air by a red and blue blur that flashed across the sky.

Her purse fell back onto the ground and she picked it up. There's a note attached that reads, "COURTESY OF YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURHOOD SPIDER-WOMAN."

* * *

><p>A uniformed officer talked excitedly with a few other cops. "Never mind the vigilante thing, you seen all those webs she leaves all over the city, I'm gonna site the lady for littering."<p>

* * *

><p>WHO IS SPIDER-WOMAN?<br>_Costumed Figure Saves Fire Victims_

This is the headline of a tabloid newspaper called the Daily Bugle. There's a large photograph of a burning building and a fuzzy indistinct figure crawling up the side of it.

The newspaper lowered to reveal the face of J. Jonah Jameson, the owner of the last flattop haircut in America. "She's a criminal, that's who she is!" he yelled. "A vigilante! A public menace! What's she doing on my front page?"

Hoffman, an employee of The Bugle entered the office, interrupting the meeting Jameson is having with his city editor, Robbie Robertson. "Mr. Jameson, we have a page 6 problem."

"We have a page 1 problem. Shut up!" Jameson shouted.

"She's news." Robbie defended.

"They're a major account, it can't wait." Hoffman said.

"It's about to." Jameson retorted.

Robbie ignored what Hoffman said. "She saved six people from burning to death."

"In a fire _she_ probably started!" Jameson added. "Something goes wrong and this creepy crawler's there, what's that tell ya?"

"Boss, she's a hero." Robbie returned.

"Then why does she wear a mask? What's she got to hide?" Jameson questioned.

Hoffman tried to speak again. "We double sold page 6. Both Conway and Macy's bought three quarters of it."

"We sold out all four printings, Jonah." Robbie continued.

"Sold out?" Jameson asked sharply.

"Every copy." Robbie confirmed.

"Spider-Woman, page one, tomorrow! With a decent picture this time!" Jameson said and turned to Hoffman. "Move Conway to Page 7."

"There's a problem with page 7." Hoffman said.

"Then move them to page 8 and tell 'em we'll give 'em an extra column inch. Get out of here!" Jameson ordered and Hoffman left.

"Can't _get_ a picture. I've had Eddie on it for weeks, nobody ever gets more than a glimpse of her." Robbie said.

"What is she, shy!" Jameson yelled. "If we can get a picture of Julia Roberts in a thong, we can certainly get a picture of this nut. Put an ad on the front page! "Cash money for a picture of Spider-Woman!" Doesn't wanna be famous? Then I'll make her _INFAMOUS!_"


	7. Chapter 7

In a seedy-looking dinner of Moondance, Mary Jane Watson, who's wearing a hideous orange waitress uniform, is being berated by a surly-looking cook. She then punched in the time clock, grabbed a rain coat, and stalked out of there.

As the door opened, a blast of noise and the smell of grease washed out after her. She made her way down the street and the lady passing her stopped, and checked her out. It turned out to be Perenna.

"Hey!" she said.

M.J didn't look up. "Buzz off!" she said and kept walking.

"Mary Jane Watson?" Perenna questioned. The red head froze as if hearing her own name frightened her. "M.J. It's me. Perenna."

M.J turned around, pulled her raincoat closed and her face lights up. "Perenna!"

"Hi. How have you been? What are you doing around here?" Perenna asked.

"I live around the corner. I was…heading to an audition." M.J replied.

"An audition. So you're an actress now?" Perenna asked politely.

"Working steady. In fact I just got off a job." M.J replied.

"That's great M.J." Perenna said.

"Yeah, I've never been happier. It's like they say, it's all about the work, you know, the work is everything…" M.J said. "But how about you? How's the photography?"

"Great." Perenna said, then her face got downcast. "Actually…I haven't done much with it. I've been kind of busy…Going to college…" she said and held up the classifieds. "Looking for a job, saving the world. But you! Look at you. You're actually living the life you dreamed about."

Suddenly, the door to the diner opened and the surly cook stepped out clutching a pile of restaurant checks in his meaty hands. "Hey, glamour girl! You're drawer's off by six bucks! Next time I take it out of your check, y'get me?" M.J ignored him. "Excuse me, Miss Watson, I am speaking words to you. You get me?"

M.J looked over her shoulder. "Yes, Enrique, okay? "I get you"." He went back inside, the door banging closed behind him. M.J looked down and can't look Perenna in the eye. By lieu of an explanation, she opened her raincoat and showed her, her uniform. "Some dream, huh? But it's just temporary. Few extra dollars."

"Well that's nothing to be embarrassed about." Perenna reasoned. "You think they need another waitress?"

"Don't tell Harry." M.J said abruptly.

"…Harry?" Perenna questioned blankly.

M.J saw her look. "Aren't you two living together? We've been going out. Didn't he tell you?"

"Oh, yeah…right." Perenna said recovering quickly.

"I think he'd hate the idea of my waiting on tables. He'd think it was low." M.J said.

"Well, Harry has never lived on a little planet I like to call earth." Perenna said. M.J laughed. "Probably half the people starring on Broadway were waiters or even dish washers."

"How come you always make me feel better?" M.J questioned and Perenna smiled while shrugging shyly. Then an awkward moment ensued. "Well…" she turned to go. "It's good to see you Perenna."

"Maybe I'll come down and have a cup of your Moondance coffee someday." Perenna called after her and then added quickly. "And I won't tell Harry, M.J."

M.J looked back. "No, don't tell Harry."

"No, I won't." Perenna said to herself. "I won't tell Harry." Finally, she turned and started off in the other direction and walked alone. "Harry and Mary Jane. Wow." She kept walking on and whispered sadly to herself, "Don't tell Perenna."

* * *

><p>Perenna opened the door to the apartment, looking down heartened. She spotted Norman pacing around, speaking on a cell phone. Norman nodded to her and she nodded back. She saw Harry at the dining room table, college textbooks open. Harry turned, looking out of sorts.<p>

"Stormin' Norman making his weekly inspection. Spends half of it on the phone." He said and looked back at the open books. "Man, I'm glad you're here. I need your help, I'm hopelessly lost. What's wrong with you? Somebody run over your dog?"

"No. I, uh…I was late and Dr. Connors fired me." Perenna said.

"Late again?" Harry questioned. "What is it with you? Where d'you go all the time?"

"Around." Perenna replied vaguely.

"For a completely responsible lady, you're completely irresponsible." Harry said.

Osborn hung up his phone. "Perenna Parker." She turned and Osborn is walking toward her, all smiles. "Maybe _you_ can tell me who she is."

"Who?" Perenna asked naïvely.

"This mystery girl Harry's been dating." Osborn replied.

"Dad…" Harry groaned.

"I think he wants me to meet this one, and believe me, it's the first time _that's_ hap-" Osborn said, but Harry cut him off sharply.

_"Dad."_

Osborn looked at Harry, Perenna looked at Harry too, but Harry avoids her gaze.

"Sorry." Perenna replied evenly. "Harry hasn't mentioned her."

"Hey, Perry you're probably looking for work now." Harry said changing the subject. "Dad, maybe you can help her find a job?"

Perenna shook her head and made her way to the kitchen. "Oh, no. I appreciate it, but I'll be fine."

"It's no problem. I'll make some phone calls." Osborn said.

"No." Perenna shook her head again. "I couldn't accept that. I like to earn what I get. I can find work."

"I respect that." Osborn said and made his way over to Harry. "You want to make it on your own steam. That's great." Then to Harry he said, "Interesting, isn't it, Perenna is _looking_ for work. As in, actively seeking, as opposed to strenuously avoiding."

"What do you want from me? I'm trying to keep my grades up." Harry said.

Perenna noticed a copy of the Daily _Bugle_ on the kitchen counter. She picked it up and looked at the front page.

"What other skills do you have Parker?" Osborn asked.

Perenna looked up from where she had been stuffing the front page of the Daily Bugle intently. "I'm thinking of something in photography."

She tossed the Bugle back on the counter, where the front page is revealed. There's a crude sketch of Spider-Woman's face, under the headline it ready:

_WANTED: PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF  
>Bugle Offers Reward!<em>

* * *

><p>At night a 35MM camera is suspended in the cornice on the third story of a building, the light flashing on automatic shutter. Three robbers emerge from a bank, guns drawn, hostages in tow. A dark figure swings into the scene and does battle with the robbers. The camera on the cornice flashed suddenly and in that instance, the first clear picture is taken of Spider-Woman, wearing her new snazzy red and blue outfit, though the mask is only a strip of fabric with web designs on it and the jack o'lantern eyes, her shoulder-length brown hair spilling over the edges of the fabric and the hair had a messy-chic windblown look to it.<p>

* * *

><p>In the Daily Bugle newsroom, the same photograph is seen and Robbie flipped through more good shots of Spider-Woman swinging, flying, and web-shooting. Robbie looked at the brown-haired woman who had her hair pulled up into a French twist, and was stylishly dressed. "They're good. Very good. How'd you get 'em?"<p>

"If I tell you, you'll send your own photographer." Perenna said knowingly. "Am I hired?"

"It's not up to me. Mr. Jameson hires all the staff personally." Robbie answered.

They both heard shouts coming from the office across the hall. "IS THAT WHAT I SAID? IS THAT WHAT I ASKED? I SAID A PICTURE, EDDIE, NOT AN INK BLOT! WHY THE HELL CAN'T ANYBODY BRING ME DECENT ART ON THAT FREAK? GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

"He fires 'em that way, too." Robbie said to the suddenly wide-eyed Perenna.

"I see." She muttered.

Eddie Brock, another young photographer came out of Jameson's office and Perenna noticed that he was shabbily dressed. He looked over and locked eyes with Perenna. "What are you looking at greenhorn?" she winced and looked away as he left, but not before giving her a more measured once over when she wasn't looking.

Jameson appeared in the doorway to his office. "AND BROCK! WOULD IT KILL YOU TO GET A DECENT SUIT?" he turned and saw Perenna, inexplicably continuing in shouting mode. "WHAT?"

They went into his office and once Jameson was behind his desk, he started flipping through the photograph. Perenna sat across from him, feeling nervous. But if Robbie liked them, then shouldn't the editor also like them? "They're crap." Evidently not. "Crap." He flipped the page. "Crap." Another flip. "Mega crap. I'll give you three hundred for all of them."

"That seems a little low." Perenna pointed out.

"Then take 'em somewhere else." Jameson stated and when Perenna rose and started collecting the photos, he spoke again. "Sit down. Alright…I'll give you five hundred. That's the standard freelance fee." He took the photographs back and handed them to Robbie, muttering as he pointed to one in particular. "Tear page one up, run that shot instead."

Perenna did double-take, _'Page one? No freaking way!'_ she thought incredulously.

"Headline?" Robbie asked.

"Spider-Woman, Hero or Menace? Exclusive Daily Bugle photos!" Jameson said.

"Menace?" Perenna balked. "Sir, she was protecting that bank from those-"

"Tell you what, kid, you take the pictures, I make up the headlines, okay, that alright with you?" Jameson questioned.

Perenna forced down her indignation. "Yes, sir-I would like a job, sir."

"No jobs! Freelance. Best thing in the world for a kid your age." Jameson stated. "Bring me more shots of that newspaper selling clown and I might take 'em off your hands. Come on, get out of here, I got deadlines."

* * *

><p>In the Daily Bugle, Jameson, Robbie and Perenna are in Jameson's office and Robbie handed Jameson front page mock-up with a photo of Spider-Woman in action. The headline reading:<p>

_NY CHEERS COSTUME HERO_

Jameson frowned and crossed out "Cheers" with "Fears" and crossed out "Hero" to change it to "Coward." The new headline reading:

_NY FEARS COSTUME COWARD_

Perenna saw it and her eye twitched. _'What the…'_

* * *

><p>On another day, Robbie handed Jameson another newspaper mock-up with a Spider-Woman photo on the front page an there's no headline. "Headline?" Robbie questioned.<p>

Jameson seemed to be thinking out loud. "Spider-Woman: Super-Hero or Super Zero?"

Perenna eye twitched again. _'That's just…'_

* * *

><p>The last straw for Perenna was when she saw the next newspaper headline.<p>

_"BIG APPLE FEARS SPIDER BITE_"

"What are you so hard on her? She's on the side of the side of the law." Perenna argued as she finally spoke her mind.

"She thinks she _is_ the law. There's no place in this society for vigilante justice. Once one person takes the law into their own hands, it's anarchy." Jameson said.

Perenna though was growing increasingly dissatisfied with her alto-ego getting bashed. "Mr. Jameson. How about an assignment. I'd like to shoot something other than Spider-Woman."

"No, you just keep doing what you're doing." Jameson rebuked.

"J.J, we need someone to cover the World Unity Festival. Let's send Perenna." Robbie said.

"World Unity Festival? Another epic display of OsCorp self-aggrandizement." Jameson scoffed. "Fine, send her, but I never said you have a job! Meat! I'll give you a box of Christmas meat! Best I can do! _NOW GET ME MORE PICTURES_!"

* * *

><p>Norman Osborn sat at the head of a long table in the OsCorp board room, concluding a meeting, looking very much like the cat who ate the canary. "In addition, we've secured three major new government contracts and I'm pleased to announce that as of today, OsCorp industries has surpassed Quest Aerospace as the principal supplier to the United States military. In short, ladies and gentlemen of the board, costs are down, revenue is up, and our stock has never been higher."<p>

Simultaneously, they all close the leather-bound folders that were open in front of them and Balkan sat forward. "That's wonderful news, Norman." He cleared his throat. "In fact, it's the reason we're selling the company."

"What?" Osborn yelled angrily.

"It took us _all_ by surprise, but Quest Aerospace is recapitalizing in the wake of the bombing…" Balkan began.

"Fargas, what the hell is going on here?" Osborn yelled, but Fargas doesn't respond.

"Quest is expanding and they've made a tender offer we can't ignore." Balkan finished.

"Why wasn't I told about this?" Osborn questioned.

"The last thing they want is a power struggle with entrenched management…" Balkan said.

"They want you out, Norman. The deal is off if you come with it. The board expects your resignation in thirty days." Fargas explained.

"You…can't do this to me, I _built_ this company." Osborn said and looked at Fargas. "Max…please." He then quickly scanned the faces of the hostile board members.

"The board is unanimous. I'm sorry. We're announcing the sale right after the World Unity Festival." Fargas explained.

"You're out, Norman." Balkan stated.

"Am I?" Osborn questioned.

* * *

><p>An enormous, multi-coloured globe stood over Times Square, today the day of the World Unity Festival, a festival of healing and unification. On stage is Macy Gray singing a soulful rendition of "Why Didn't You Call Me."<p>

In the streets, Perenna Parker worked her way through the crowd taking pictures. Through the lens she spotted a young man reading the Daily Bugle. She focused on the headline:

_"Big Apple Dreads Spider Bite!"_

Perenna lowered her camera, and shook her head. She takes in the spectacle before her and continues through the crowd, taking more pictures. Giant balloons float in the air, thousands in attendance at the festival, the vibe being sweet and light.

She saw a mother buying her seven year old son cotton candy. Five stories up, a balcony on one building has been converted into a reviewing stand. Buttressed by two Hercules statue, one on each corner, which appear to be holding the reviewing stand aloft.

All this is under large banner which read, "_OSBORN INDUSTRIES WELCOMES YOU TO THE 3RD ANNUAL World Unity Festival."_

Nine angry-looking men and women, the OsCorp board of directors, sit in a row in suits and ties, chatting up another dignitaries. Balkan and Fargas are smiling, but it's sorta gruesome.

Harry is fixing a UNITY DAY pin to M.J's red dress. He stands back and studies her. "Perfect. Except how come you didn't wear the black dress? I wanted to impress my father. He loves black."

"Maybe he'll be impressed no matter what? _You_ think I'm pretty." M.J said.

"Of course I do. You're beautiful." Harry replied.

Back down on the street, Perenna raised her camera again and continued making shots. Through the lens she scanned the balloons, the floating streamers, and came to a Hercules statue. She tilted her camera up the statue, past Harry and M.J, up further-wait what?

She lowered her camera to them and saw Harry put his arm around M.J and leaned in for a kiss. Perenna subconsciously held her breath as Harry's mouth rapidly approached M.J's, and thought the worst was about to happen, but at the last second, M.J turned, and Harry ended up kissing her cheek.

Perenna let out the breath she had been holding and resisted the urge to pump her fist in the air. While she knew it was horrible to feel glad that the would-be kiss has flopped, she reminded herself that _best friend_ hadn't bothered to tell _her_ that he was going out with the girl she had been crushing on since forever.

Perenna lowered her camera, but was still looking up as Harry looked down, who sees her and she sees him. Harry averted his gaze from those accusing eyes and ushered M.J away.

Perenna's expression changed from slightly angry and pouty, to shocked as her eyes widened completely as what she had dubbed her 'spider-sense' wen off. Everything around her slowed to a crawl and she scanned the crowd for any sign of danger, but found nothing.

_'Is my spidey-sense on the fritz or something?'_ Perenna thought puzzled.


	8. Chapter 8

Back on the reviewing stand, Harry lead M.J through the balcony crowd, and upon spotting Balkan and Fargas, walked up to them. "Have you seen my father?"

The two board members shared an uncomfortable look.

"I'm not sure he'll be joining us." Fargas said.

They both turn, hearing something. And so do the others around them. It's a high-pitched whining sound. Harry and M.J look around for the noise as they made their way to the balcony edge.

Down on the street, Perenna is ready to burst out in frustration. _'I know something's wrong, but what is it? _she thought and finally looked up. She sees something darting in and out of the clouds, something small and very fast.

Back on the reviewing stand, Fargas squinted up into the sky at the source of the whining. "What is that?"

"Must be new this year." Balkan said and raised to his eyes a pair of binoculars. "What the devil!" he exclaimed.

"Is that our wing?" Fargas questioned.

Back on the street, whatever-the-thing is came through for another pass, lower this time. But it passed so fast, zigzagging through the floats, that no one can really see it.

On the reviewing stand, both Fargas and Balkan looked troubled, but crowd applauded and smiled, liking this bit. The _whatever-the-thing_ is, curled around in the sky, hovering for a moment before turning right toward the reviewing stand.

On top of the glider a figure reached down to his belt and detached some kind of device the size of a softball with vertical bulges like those on a pumpkin. He's dressed in a form-fitting dark green suit densely layered with complicated circuitry, the same suit that had been at OsCorp. Over his face is a grotesque green demonic mask, and he's flying on a glider, also the same one from the lab. The man cackled, a hideous laugh that echoed over the street.

Macy Gray and her back ground singers stopped and looked around, not having been told of this part of the "show." The crowd though cheered again.

The man twitched and the glider responded immediately, banking and plummeting straight toward the reviewing stand. He detonated the device he still held (a pumpkin bomb) and hurled it toward one of the Hercules statues.

KA-BOOM! The statue crumbled and began to collapse, lurching lower, and swayed. VIP's topple, M.J is thrown forward, while Harry is thrown backwards. Debris showered the pavement below, nearly crushing terrorized citizens.

Perenna elbowed her way through the crowd and to the mouth of an alley, silently berating herself for not changing the second her spider-sense kicked in.

* * *

><p>The reviewing stand gave another crack and shudder as the entire stand dropped a few feet. M.J is played precariously on the dangling balcony balustrades. Harry got to his feet and tried to go over to her, but his weight caused the balcony to shift and the statue cracked yet again, tossing M.J further to the outer edge of the balcony.<p>

The Green Goblin soared upwards and took out another pumpkin bomb from his pouch and hurled it on the reviewing stand. The bomb landed with _THUNK_, bounced and stopped right in front of the board members of OsCorp. The bomb _whirls_ a few feet in the air and then it explodes in a flash of brilliant orange light, so bright it irradiates half a dozen of the board, turning them skeletons.

The crowd screamed and the blast's concussion caused the balcony to separate yet again. Now M.J felt like she was really in trouble. Harry crawled over to her…blinking to get the spots from his eyes as he held out his hand. M.J reached her hand out also, but the Goblin rose up behind her on his glider and M.J let out a shriek upon seeing him.

The Goblin let out a blood-curdling cackle, reveling in the mayhem unfolding, but is cut short as he hesitates at something, turned and Spider-Woman swung down from above and POW smacked right into the Goblin, knocking him clean off his glider.

The Goblin plummeted, from six stories, except he landed on one of the passing floats, bounced off it and crashed feet first into a large tent below, breaking his fall. The glider came sailing down after the Goblin as it was built with a homing device. It smashed through the globe replica, which was knocked off its perch and came out on the other side, heading for the Goblin.

Spider-Woman clung to the side of the building, overlooking the chaos. Her eyes zip over to the reviewing stand to see that M.J is in _big_ trouble, but then heard the screams and her eyes zip over the other way, to where the globe replica had begun to roll, crushing everything in its wake.

And headed straight for the little boy from before, who stared in frozen shock as it headed right for him, unable to move as his mother screamed. Spider-Woman fired a web at a billboard high atop a nearby building and swung in a huge arc straight for the boy. She swept the child up just as the globe rolled by, stamping out the parking meters like match sticks.

The Goblin meanwhile is stuck in the tangle of the collapsed then and is surrounded by cops, whose guns are raised. "I surrender!" he exclaimed. "I surrender! Media violence made me do it!"

The cops hesitated, and in that moment the Goblin leapt inhumanly into the thick of them. They go after him, piling on in a blizzard of flashing nightsticks.

Nearby Spider-Woman swings to the ground, depositing the boy in the arms of his mother. She looked over to where the cops have blanketed the Goblin, fists flying. But with a shocking burst of strength, the Goblin _hurled_ the cops _off of him_ and they go flying in different directions. Spider-Woman made a leaping run as she faulted herself into the air and landed her feet in front of the Goblin.

"How _dare_ you interfere with me! What do you want?" he demanded.

"World peace. But I'll settle for your chin." Spider-Woman retorted as she sent a fist into the Goblin's chin.

The Goblin flew across the street, crashing into a brick wall. Spider-Woman came at him again with another haymaker which the Goblin caught in one of his gloved hands, stopping it. "See what I did there?" he mocked and punched Spider-Woman off her feet, sending her through an ice cream cart and into a lamppost.

The Goblin touched something on his wrist and a moment later his glider came whizzing down, right behind Spider-Woman, who leapt over it at the last second. The Goblin jumped on the glider, clicked his boots into the wings and he's off into the sky again. In mid-air the Goblin banked left and turned back. He hit a button and a small machine gun appeared from the glider's tip.

On the reviewing stand, Harry reached for M.J again, but she out of reach, still trapped on the reviewing stand. She tried to climb to safety as it swayed, but cracked like ice as rivets popped.

In mid-air the Goblin fired at Spider-Woman, raking the ground around her with bullets. Spider-Woman fired a web up at the enormous Rasta Man float and swung up and out of the gun fires path, over the top of the float as the Goblin disappeared into the sky.

Spider-Woman saw M.J on the crumbling balcony, in peril. A procession of floats hovered between them. So Spider-Woman leapt from float to float, one two, three. She made her final leap for the balcony when the Goblin zoomed behind her and wrapped her in a bear hug and drove her into the building above the balcony, causing glass and debris.

Harry is struck in the head by a chunk of debris, his knees buckle and he crashed to the floor, unconscious. The combatants meanwhile trade blows. The Goblin reared back, giving a crushing elbow to her jaw, sending her plummeting to the balcony.

Spider-Woman landed on the balcony and glass, and chunks of the building come crashing down near M.J, causing her to roll out to the very edge. She is saved the by the balustrades which break her fall. Spider-Woman is just about to move toward her when the Goblin appeared, rising out of nowhere, hovering right over them.

He whirled toward Spider-Woman, a weapon humming up out of the glider, and pointed it at her. Spider-Woman a hot at web, it splatting over the Goblin's face, obscuring his vision. A laser beam blasts into the wall next to her. Spider-Woman reached up into the glider and pulled out a handful of wires from underneath the wing. The Goblin takes off, clawing the webbing out of his face, the glider smoking and sputtering.

Safe at last!

No, wait, _not safe_! The building ledge finally crumbled and M.J fell screaming. Spider-Woman dove after her, a trail of webbing following her and she caught M.J just short of the street, the web pulled taut, and they both bounce back up just before hitting the pavement. The costumed woman wanted to just let the redhead down now, but when would she get another chance to do this?

They sail back into the air just as the balcony finally collapsed behind them, Harry waking up at the edge of the balcony to see Spider-Woman swinging away with M.J.

They both swish through the air and through the spectacular canyon of skyscrapers and M.J worked up the nerve to ask, "Who _are_ you?"

Surprisingly, Spider-Woman smiled, not looking the least it offended by the question. "You know."

"I do?" M.J questioned as she looked more closely at the woman's somewhat mask obscured face, the brown hair though that was flying in her face made it also hard to see any defining features.

The woman's smile widened as she answered cheerily, "Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Woman!"

Spider-Woman landed gracefully atop the Rockefeller Center roof top gardens and deposited M.J gently onto the grass where two young lovers are making out on bench. "Don't mind us. She just needs to use the elevator?"

Their jaws dropped and Spider-Woman chuckled before she turned and leapt off the edge of the building throwing in a double somersault for show before shooting out a web.

M.J watched her swing away into the city breathlessly. "Spider-Woman…"

* * *

><p>Perenna is sitting on the window sill looking dreamily out the window as she drank a glass of milk. She let a giddy giggle as she remembered swinging through the city with M.J . The door opened and Harry entered with a cell phone in hand and a bandage on his forehead.<p>

"Pick up! Pick up! If somehow you get this message, call me right away." He said and hung up the phone and saw Perenna, looking manic. "Perry! Oh, man, I'm glad you're here. Any word? Has she called?"

"Not yet. She will." Perenna said getting off the sill and walking over to him, putting the glass of milk on the table.

"She will? How do you know, you don't know that." Harry retorted.

Perenna rolled her eyes. "A little thing called Woman's Intuition." She said and lightly touched the area around the bandage. "You okay? How's your head?"

Harry pushed her hand away. "They patched it up, it's nothing." He said. "Where did she take her? What would she do to her? Thank God my father wasn't there. That whole seen, where'd that thing come from? What was it?" Then he saw the glass on the table. "What is that? Milk?"

Perenna smirked. "Uh huh, got milk?"

"Why aren't you worried?" Harry questioned.

Perenna blinked. "Oh, right. I am." She said convincingly.

"I've put it together. Spider-Woman knows she's my girlfriend. She'll want a ransom from my father." Harry theorized.

Perenna cocked her head, secretly amused. "Really? What could she get?" she asked jokingly.

The phone rang and Harry picked it up. "Hello."

_"Hi ya."_ M.J said blissfully.

"Oh thank God!" Harry exclaimed and looked at Perenna. "It's her." Then he spoke back into the phone. "Where are you? Are you alright? Did she hurt you?"

_"Ohh, noo. She was incredible."_ M.J replied.

"She was what? What do you mean she was incredible?" Harry asked.

Perenna blinked again. Then she looked away smiling.

_"Oh, I don't know. You know."_ M.J replied vaguely.

"Are you alright? Are you drugged? Where did she take you?" Harry asked.

Perenna a brow at that. _'Really, I'd never drug anyone.'_

_"To a beautiful roof garden."_ M.J said.

"To a roof garden?" Harry repeated.

_"Have you ever been there? You should go."_ M.J suggested.

"No, I've never been there, listen, I'm coming over." Harry said.

_"Why?"_ M.J questioned.

"Because you need to tell me everything, that's why. And what did you mean by incredible?" Harry asked again.

_"I'm going to sleep now."_ M.J said.

"Well, then call me in the morning. Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Harry asked.

_"Incredible."_ M.J said with the same blissed out tone she'd been using for the entire conversation.

"STOP SAYING THAT!" Harry yelled and Perenna had to fully turn away as she was nearly laughing by then. "Call me when you wake up, we'll go for breakfast and I'll buy you something beautiful…"

_"Why?_" M.J questioned.

"Because I want to, it'll make you feel better." Harry explained.

_"G'night."_ M.J said.

"Alright, g'night, get some sleep. Uh, sleep tight, don't let the-" Harry said but M.J hung up before he could finish. He waited a good three seconds before looking over at Perenna. "She's still a little rattled."

Perenna finished off her glass and put it in the sink. "At least she's alright."

"Look…" Harry began. "About M.J. I know that was a picture you didn't want to take."

"I didn't take it." Perenna replied serenely.

"I should've told you about us, but you have to understand, I'm crazy about her." Harry said.

"We're friends." Perenna replied, still keeping her calm tone. "You didn't have to lie."

"I always knew you wanted her for yourself, but you never made a move." Harry unnecessarily explained.

Perenna let out a soft sigh. "I guess I didn't."

"Look, I'm going to get some sleep. How about you?" Harry asked.

"I think I'll look out at the skyline." Perenna replied. "I'd like to pray for those people who died."

"What was that thing that killed them? It happened so fast." Harry said.

"I don't know." Perenna replied honestly. "But somebody has to stop it." She added a bit more seriously.

Harry stared at her. "Right. Well…I'll pray in the bedroom." He said hesitating before moving into another room.

Perenna moved over to the window again and looked at the night skyline. "…somebody has to stop it." She muttered softly to herself. "…and I suppose that person has to be me."

* * *

><p>In Osborn's apartment, Norman Osborn, who's been staring intently at the front page of the Daily Bugle, featuring a photo of Spider-Woman and the Green Goblin doing battle and the headline read:<p>

_TIMES SCARE  
>Spider-Woman, and Green Goblin Terrorize City!<em>

He's dressed in rumpled clothes from the previous night, he must have slept in them, he thought. He's disheveled with bags under his eyes and looked like hell. And then there's the headline. He looked back at it and tried to comprehend its meaning.

At the bottom of the front page is a another less prominent headline.

_OsCorp Board Members Killed._

Osborn rubbed his head, trying to make sense of it and he started to sweat. He slammed the door and staggered away, across the entry hall. Somewhere, seemingly in the distance, he heard a faint cackle. He stopped and looked around. _'Where did that come from?'_ he thought and lurched across the foyer and up the stairs. Osborn entered his study, paper still in hand. "Somebody there?" he looked around the silent room and then to the balcony. "Of course not." He said moving over to a small whisky decanter. Hands shaking, he pours a shot and raised it to his mouth.

_Stop pretending, Norman…_

He turned around, looking up sharply, the wobbling glass still in his hand, face dripping and terrified. The voice was mirthful, and other-worldly. Osborn stumbled into the middle of the room. "WHO SAID THAT?"

_Don't play the innocent with _me, the voice said in a demonic monotone. You've known all along.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Osborn yelled.

_Follow the cold shiver that's running down your spine. Look, I'm right here._

Norman turned to the mirror. "I don't understand." He said.

_Did you think it was a coincidence?_ His reflection taunted._ So many good things…all happening for you…all for you, Norman._

"What do you want?" Osborn demanded.

To _ say what _you_ won't…_to do_ what you can't-_The reflection showed Osborn the paper in the mirror-to remove those in your way.

Osborn held the paper and studied it. "The board members! YOU killed them!"

_WE killed _them…

"Oh, God! My God!" Osborn exclaimed.

_Stop mewling…You sicken _me…_you ooze weakness…_

"I'm not a murderer, I'm a scientist, a respectable businessman. The police." Norman scurried over to the phone and reached for it, but the Goblin beat him to it.

_HYPOCRITE! LIAR!_

The Goblin reared back and heaved the phone toward the balcony. Norman watched it fly through the air and looked back as the Goblin stood back in the mirror, looking down at him. _Now shut up and listen. Try to understand the beauty of all this. YOU are now in full control of OsCorp Industries. Your greatest wish, granted by _me. _Say thank you._

Osborn thought and took this all in. "And then what?"

_We'll eliminate your rivals. OsCorp will become the most powerful military supplier in history. You'll have limitless wealth. Presidents and Kings will court your favor. So don't be shy. Take what you've always wanted. Power. The weak will serve you. The world will be yours and mine. Yes. You and I, we can have a hell of a time._

Osborn lurched to his chair. "I suppose the damage has been done right?"

_Yeah_.

"Can we do it alone?" Osborn questioned.

_There's only one who could stop us._

"Or…could be our greatest ally." Osborn said.

_Exactly! We need to have a little chat with you know who._

"But how do we find her?" Osborn questioned and with that he snatched up the Bugle from the table top and looked at the front page of the Goblin and Spider-Woman again.

* * *

><p>"The Green Goblin." Jameson said finishing his sentence.<p>

Jonah Jameson was in his office, chewing on a cigar and admiring the front page of his newspaper. Perenna Parker stood at the opposite end and saw on the wall behind Jameson a framed photo of a handsome astronaut.

"You like that? Made it up myself. Ever since Spider-Woman, they all gotta have a name. _HOFFMAN!_ Call the patent office and copyright the name Green Goblin! I want a quarter every time somebody says it!" Jameson ordered.

"Spider-Woman wasn't terrorizing the city, she was trying to save it!" Perenna argued heatedly. "It's slander!"

"I resent that!" Jameson shot back. "Slander is spoken! In prints it's libel." He tossed his cigar over his shoulder, out the window behind him.

"You don't trust anybody, that's your problem, Mr. Jameson." Perenna still argued.

"I trust my barber!" Jameson yelled. "What are you, her lawyer? Let her sue me and get rich like a normal person!" he yelled at Perenna's retreating back. "That's what makes this country-" The cigar he threw out flew back through the window and landed on his desk. Jameson looked at it, puzzled, and turned around as the Green Goblin smashed through the window frame on his glider. He grabbed Jameson by the throat with one hand and scooped him off his feet, hid glider hovering over the floor of the office.

Out in the newspaper office outside out Jameson's office, Perenna's eyes were saucer wide as she looked into the editor's office. As secretaries, reporters and other Bugle employees scurry about and try to escape the mayhem, Perenna quickly ducked into the hallway.

Back in Jameson's office, the Goblin had a firm grip on Jameson's throat. "Who's the photographer that takes the pictures of Spider-Woman? I need to talk to her about her favorite subject. Where is she?" he demanded.

"She's a free-lancer, I don't know who she is!" Jameson said quickly. "Her stuff comes in the mail."

"You're lying." Goblin said.

"I swear!" Jameson choked.

"This is your last chance!" Goblin threatened.

"Please…air…stop…" Jameson pleaded.

"Hey." The Goblin whirled around and saw Spider-Woman hanging upside down in the window. "I wear the tights in this town."

"Speak of the She-devil!" Goblin retorted and let go of Jameson, who dropped on the floor in a heap, gasping for air.

"I knew it!" Jameson yelled. "You and Spider-Woman are in this together! I knew that creep was-"

A bunch of webbing splats across Jameson's mouth, shutting him up. _'I save his ass, then he goes right back to insulting me. Talk about gratitude._' Spider-Woman thought sarcastically. "Hey Kiddo, let Mom and Dad talk for a minute, will you?" she had only turned her head for a second, but when she turned back, she got a bunch of gas sprayed in her face.

Everything went black as she tumbled from what used to be Jameson's office and plummeted to the ground below. Right before she met her demise, the Green Goblin caught Spider-Woman and zoomed away.


	9. Chapter 9

Spider-Woman began regaining consciousness on a roof top in Midtown. The Green Goblin is standing nearby in the shadows and saw her trying to move. "Relax."

_'Like hell._' Spider-Woman thought and tried to struggle and dragged herself into a sitting position against an abutment, feeling like she weighed a thousand pounds.

"My hallucinogen gas slowed your central nervous system to a crawl, just for a few minutes. Long enough for us to have a talk." Goblin explained. "Don't worry, I didn't remove your so-called 'mask.' I'll respect your privacy, for the moment anyway. Because I respect _you_."

_'That's not creepy at all.' _Spider-Woman thought as she fought to be alert. "Who are you?"

"A kindred spirit. A fellow traveler…" Goblin started. "You've changed and now you want someone to tell you what to do, who to be. And there is no one who could possibly understand…" Then he got uncomfortably close. "…except me."

Spider-Woman's eyes shifted to her hand, only to see them trembling. "Back off." She snarled baring her teeth.

The Goblin didn't seem perturbed by her anger, but he did back off. "They call us freaks. But we're not less than human, we are _more_ than human."

"I'm not like you." Spider-Woman grated out, feeling anger at herself for being so helpless at that moment. "You're a murderer."

"Well…to each his, or in your case, her, own." Goblin said. "I chose my path. You chose the way of the hero. And they found you amusing for a while…the people of this city. But the one thing they love more than a hero, is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying. The truth is people don't _like_ heroes. Who wants an example you can never live up? Take my word for it…in spite of all you've done for them, eventually _they will hate you. Read the headlines._" In spite of herself, Spider-Woman was listening. "We are who we chose to be, but a day will come when you must ask yourself, did I chose wisely-why am I risking my life for ungrateful fools?"

"Because it's right." Spider-Woman said with as much conviction as she could muster at the moment.

The Goblin circled her. "Right? Wrong? Capital R, Capital W? You're young, aren't you? You believe in truth, beauty, female athletes as role models." Spider-Woman twitched at that. "Well here's the _real_ truth. There are fourteen million people in this city, and those teeming masses exist for the sole purpose of lifting the few exceptional people onto their shoulders. You and me, were exceptional. I had problems, but I used my God given powers and poof, those problems vanished." Spider-Woman stared, unwillingly thinking over the idea. "Imagine what we could accomplish together. What we could create." He saw her lips thin in distaste. "OR…we could destroy, cause the deaths of countless innocents in selfish battle, again, and again. And again, until we're both dead." He summoned his glider and hopped aboard, giving Spider-Woman one last look. "Think about it, hero." He cackled and shot off into the night.

* * *

><p>A Daily Bugle truck motored up to a newspaper stand. A bundled stack of papers tumbled to a stop a few feet from the news stand proprietor. Citizens gathered around and fished out their money. The proprietor bent down and cut the twine ropes, revealing the latest headline:<p>

_Spider-Woman, and Green Goblin Terrorize City!_

* * *

><p>Outside a Midtown television studio, Perenna glumly stood against the wall staring at the line of newspaper vending machines across the side walk. Each displaying the headline: "Spider-Woman, Time for a Bug-Free City!"<p>

Mary Jane Watson came out the side door the television studio and slammed the door shut a little too hard. As it slammed shut, she noticed the sign that said "Artists Only." She laughed bitterly to herself and started walking away.

Perenna leapt from the wall as she saw her. "Hey!"

M.J looked at her. "Hey." She said sounding surprised to see her.

"How was the audition?" Perenna asked curiously.

"How'd you know?" M.J asked really surprised.

"The hotline." Perenna explained. "You mom told my aunt, who told me. We have no secrets from each other." She added. _'Except one.'_ She thought guiltily.

"So you just came by?" M.J asked.

"I was in the neighbourhood. I needed to see a friendly face. Took two buses and a cab to _get_ into the neighbourhood, but…" Perenna trailed off sheepishly.

"They told me I needed acting lessons. A _soap opera_ told me I needed acting lessons." M.J said as a light rain began to fall.

"I'll buy you a cheese burger. Sky's the limit, up to seven dollars and eighty-four cents." Perenna said.

M.J laughed and smiled, but it dropped slightly as she seemed to remember something. "I'd like a cheese burger, but I'm going to dinner with Harry. Come with us."

"No thanks." Perenna said shaking her head. "So how's it _going_?" she blushed slightly as how it must have sounded and tried to correct herself. "I mean, with you and, never mind, none of my business."

"It's not? Why so interested?" M.J questioned curiously.

"I'm not, am I interested?" Perenna asked back.

"You're not?" M.J replied.

"Well…why would I be?" Perenna asked.

"Well, he is you friend, and I just thought you…" M.J trailed off and Perenna realized what she was implying and hastily waved her hands.

"No! No." Perenna said quickly. "Harry's my best friend, but he's not my…_type._" She said delicately.

M.J stared at her before her eyes lit up in understanding. "I see." Then she got more disbelieving. "Really? You two always seemed so close…"

"I _do_ like him, but more like a brother." Perenna explained.

"Are you sure you won't come with us though?" M.J asked as it started to rain harder.

Perenna nodded. "I'm sure."

"Well, gotta run." M.J said before running off.

Feeling slightly disappointed, but also slightly elated to let the red head know her gender preference, Perenna felt just a bit better. That is until she'd jostled by four punks bumping into her, one of them, letting out a whistle as she turned to leave. "Watch it creep!" she snarled.

They ignored her and kept walking in M.J's direction. Perenna was about to leave, when she paused and looked back, her brow furrowing.

* * *

><p>M.J turned on a dark corner of a street and the four punks from before catch up to her. They stopped to admire her, like they did with the pretty brunette woman with the attitude problem, they heckled her and she said something to them, causing them to get pissed. The first punk went for her purse.<p>

M.J shin kick's the first punk and elbow jabbed the second one, punched the third one, took her pepper spray out of her purse and maces the fourth one. "What are you guys, from out of town or something?" she mocked.

Now the punks looked_ really_ pissed. And their bigger. M.J is shoved into a wall and the first punk took out a knife. The situation looked bleak.

Suddenly all four punks are slammed together as if lassoed and they go flying up into the sky. M.J stared slack-jawed, staring in wonder at a form in the alley and then suddenly leapt out of the way as the first punk came flying back down into a window, the second one flying into a brick wall, the third went flying through another window, and the fourth went barreling into trash can. They lie on about on the ground unconscious.

M.J walked forward, staggering toward the form of Spider-Woman standing in the shadows. M.J looked at her, not making out the features in the inky darkness, but she saw that she wasn't wearing her mask. Spider-Woman also seemed to realize it too as she fumbled and pulled it from her waistband, but hesitated, knowing the red head couldn't see her.

"You have a knack for getting into trouble." Spider-Woman said.

"You have a knack for saving my ass." M.J retorted. "I think I have a superhero stalker." She joke, and walked closer, but the other woman retreated further into the shadows, still not wearing a mask, but there was a smile in her voice.

"I was in the neighbourhood."

M.J stopped and squinted at Spider-Woman, knowing she'd heard that somewhere recently before. "You are amazing." She's almost to her now and the other woman put on her mask.

"Some people don't think so." Spider-Woman replied, a slightly sad lit in her voice.

"But you are." M.J insisted.

Spider-Woman stared at her. "Thank you." She said sincerely. She leapt onto the wall above her, clinging there up-side down and M.J stepped underneath her.

A crazy idea came to M.J's mind as she looked at the woman. When would she get another chance like this? "Do I get to say thank you this time?" she said putting her hands on the costumed woman's face.

Spider-Woman stared wide-eyed behind her mask, her heart beat going a mile a minute and drumming in her ears as she watched the redhead's lips get closer to hers and closed on hers' and kissed her, rain streaming down both their faces and over their parted lips. When M.J pulled back, Spider-Woman touched her lips, a bright blush forming on her cheeks.

Spider-Woman hesitated, wanting to say something, but scampered up the wall and out of sight. M.J watched her go, eyes shining. "Yowza."

* * *

><p>In the sunlight, Spider-Woman is swinging through a city corridor. "Help is on the way! Yowza! Yowza!" she added as she remembered the kiss from the previous night. She swung past the camera counters and headed towards a burning apartment house surrounded by fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances. A crowd of people who have already been rescued is also standing among them.<p>

Down on the street, a mother and her two young sons that are holding onto her skirt, as she is against her will being forced out of the building by two firemen as she fought to get back in. "Let me go, my baby's in there, somebody save my baby, let me go!"

"It's too late, lady, the roof's ready to collapse." One of the fire men said as the woman continued to struggle and shout.

Suddenly the second fireman looked up and reacted at something above. "Hey! Up there! Look! It's her!"

Above the crowd, Spider-Woman is swinging toward the building and disappeared inside.

"What's she doing?" The first fireman questioned.

"She's crazy, she hasn't got a chance."

"Save my baby, please, please!" The mother screamed hoping that the costumed woman hear her.

Inside, Spider-Woman is looking around frantically as she tried to avoid the flames. She heard the sound of crying and found a little baby boy under a wooden plank that seemed to have been shielding him from the debris. _'One lucky kid_.' She thought as she picked the baby up and made a make-shift blanket to wrap the baby in and hurried to the window as her spider-sense went off and roof started to fall.

She jumped out through the window just as a fire ball came out from behind her and webbed the wall to swing more securely down to the ground, cradling the baby in one arm.

"She's alive! She's got the kid! I don't believe it." Someone shouted.

Spider-Woman heard the crowd applaud as her feet touched the ground in front of the mother and her two boys. "Here's your baby." She said extending the child to his mother and the woman took him, cradling the baby close to her.

"Oh, God Bless you, Spider-Woman." She said gratefully. "Bless you, bless you."

Spider-Woman looked at the two boys and felt she found the culprits. And even if they didn't start the fire, a fair warning was an order. "You children be good. Don't go playing with matches and start something you can't put out."

"Don't let her get away!" A cop yelled bursting through the crowd, drawing his gun and leveling it on Spider-Woman. "Hold it right there. You're wanted in connection-"

"Hellllppppp! Helllllppppp!"

Behind the cop, a young woman raised her hand and pointed toward the building. "Look! There's someone still up there!"

The crowd looked up and saw what seemed to be an old woman barely seen through the window.

The cop looked at Spider-Woman, and she looked back. "I'll be here when you get back." He said lowering his revolver.

Spider-Woman leaped up and flipped through the window, landing sounded on the unstable floor and scanned the smoky room, fire still leaping about. She saw seemingly old woman draped in a shawl, nothing visible and huddled in the corner.

_'Wasn't she just by the window?'_ Spider-Woman thought suspiciously. "Everything's going to be okay ma'am."

"Oh. Thank you dearie. You're my hero." The 'old woman' said and Spider-Woman felt a chill crawl up her spine as she heard a startlingly familiar cackle. "What's wrong with lighting up now and then?" Another cackled and the shawl dropped and _he_ turned around.

"Goblin!" Spider-Woman exclaimed seeing him through the flames.

"I thought you might be in the neighbourhood." Goblin said moving closer.

Spider-Woman quickly put two and two together. "YOU? You started this fire?" she shouted angrily.

"You know what they say: When you want to meet a hero, start a fire." Goblin said and his tone turned very serious. "What about my offer? Are you in, or are you out?"

"It's you who's out Gobby." Spider-Woman stated preparing to attack. "Out for good!"

"Your final answer?" Goblin questioned.

"My final answer." Spider-Woman stated.

"Imbecile! You've crawled your last wall." Goblin said reaching to his belt and hurled a razor bat at Spider-Woman, who deflected it with her left arm.

"Ahhh!" Spider-Woman exclaimed as she looked down at her arm. A deep gash oozed blood from her skin. She glared and shot a 'web ball' about the size of a football into the Goblin's face, sending him back into a wall. Spider-Woman took this time to wisely get the hell out of the building.

The goblin rose, determined, and pissed off, he flicked the gooey webbing from his face and when he eyes were clear, he saw that Spider-Woman was gone, a trail of blood leading out the window. The Goblin's body tensed and he howled with anger. "No one says no to me!"


	10. Chapter 10

A brown turkey is pulled out of the oven by a pot-holder as Aunt May forks the turkey to test it. M.J, in her black dress and apron, helped. All the signs of a full thanksgiving meal are on the counter all around them and the dining room table in Harry's apartment is set for five.

Harry is fastidiously checking the table, plumping the pillows and straightening the chairs when the doorbell rang. "Okay…he's here." Mary Jane came out of the kitchen and took the apron off. "You look great." He said and opened the door.

Norman Osborn stood in the doorway in a very nice suit, dabbing sweat off his forehead with handkerchief. He carried a small, ribboned pastry box and Aunt May came out of the kitchen as well. "Sorry I'm late. Work was murder. Here's a fruitcake." He said giving her the box and noticed M.J. "Who's this young lady?"

"M.J, I'd like you to meet my father, Norman Osborn. Dad, I'd like you to meet Mary Jane Watson; M.J." Harry introduced.

M.J flashed a radiant smile and Osborn stepped forward, holding out a hand, but also unmistakably narrowing his eyes, studying her. "How do you? I've been looking forward to meeting you."

M.J though felt unnerved. "Happy Thanksgiving, sir."

Aunt May intervened. "Hello Norman. We're so pleased you're here. Where's Perenna? She better have remembered the cranberry sauce."

Behind them, a red and blue costumed figure whoosed past the living room window going unnoticed and landed on the side of the apartment building. Spider-Woman crawled a few floors to her balcony window and opened.

Down in the living room, they hear a small thud and turned toward her room.

"That's weird, I didn't know she was here." Harry said.

"Perenna?" Aunt May called.

Back into Perenna's room, Perenna crawled across the ceiling and dropped to the floor.

Down in the living room, they all hear a big thud.

"My goodness." Aunt May said.

Back in Perenna's bedroom, she pulled off her mask and immediately tended to her injured and bleeding arm. She whipped around and looked wildly at the door. She saw shapes moving through the frosted glass of her door and heard Aunt May's voice calling to her. She quickly gathered up the clothes she had been planning to wear, put them in her school bag and tossed it just near the balcony.

Aunt May is nearly to the door, with Norman, Harry and M.J just behind her. She turned the handle, opened it and inside they see nothing. The room is empty.

"Perry?" Harry called.

"But there's no one here…" Aunt May observed.

Osborn came in and glanced around the room. There's not a book or cloth out of place. In fact, it looked a bit too neat. But there was no sign of Perenna. On the ceiling not three feet above their heads, Perenna is clinging there, maskless and she saw a big, fat drop of blood ooz from the cuts on her arm, right over Osborn's head.

"Bit of a neat freak, isn't she?" he asked.

"And that's just one of her many endearing qualities." Aunt May insisted.

They turned to walk out, and the drop of blood hit the light-coloured carpet, right where Osborn was standing. Perenna silently cursed as Osborn froze in the doorway and tilted he head. Perenna briefly wondered how  
>the hell he could have heard that before scurrying toward the balcony.<p>

Osborn studied the carpet and saw the blood, and quickly looked up at the ceiling. There's nobody there though. He walked over to the balcony and leaned over the edge, looking in both directions, unaware of the brunette clinging underneath it.

Apparently satisfied, Osborn headed back inside and Perenna let out a sigh of relief once she heard the door close and quickly crawled up to grab her bag before heading down a level to the empty hall. She looked around before ducking into the broom closet.

Perenna took out the clothes and took off the top half of her Spider-Woman costume and put it and her mask in the bag before putting on the light blue knitted sweater dress that ended mid-thigh and the sleeves ended at her wrists. She then put on black leggings that had gold embroidery on the sides over the bottom half of her suit. She pulled out a compact mirror from her bag and fixed up her hair so it didn't look like Spider-Woman's; she wasn't taking any chances and getting mistakenly called her. She still kept the ends flared out though and parted her bangs to the side and put the compact away while taking out the cranberry can that she had bought the previous day and headed out of the closet.

She tried to make a casual entrance once she got to the apartment, especially with how amazed they all looked. "Hey everyone." She said kissing Aunt May on the cheek. "Sorry I took so long, it's a jungle out there. I had to hit an old lady with a stick to get these cranberries."

"Oh, _Perenna_." Aunt May shook her head. "Come on everyone, let's sit down and say a prayer." They all moved for the table and when Norman reached for the cranberry log, Aunt May slapped his hand. "…and Norman…" she gestured to the turkey and carving knife. "…will you do the honors?" Norman picked up the picked and Aunt May saw blood soaking through the sleeve of Perenna's sweater dress. "Perenna, you're bleeding!"

"Yeah, I stepped off a curb and got clipped by one of those bike messengers." Perenna explained.

"Let me see." Aunt May said and pushed up her sleeve, exposing the X-shaped slashes in her forearm. "What in the name of heavenly glory?" she exclaimed as Norman Osborn's eyes widened when he recognized those slashes. "You've _got_ to be more careful out there! This city has a lunatic on every corner." Norman is holding the knife and his eyes are focused like lasers on the cuts adorning Perenna's arm. "Everyone sit down, I'll go get the First Aid kit. And then we'll say grace. This is their first Thanksgiving together and we're gonna do things properly."

"How did you say that happened?" Osborn asked.

"…Bike messenger." As Perenna turned to him, her breath sharpened and her eyes widened fearfully as suddenly her spider-sense kicked in. Everybody around her slowed to a crawl, and from her 360 angle, everything crossed her vision as she searched every nook and cranny for the danger and she flipped from face to frozen face, but these were all friends, right? So why was she so terrified? "….knocked me down." She finished as everything went back to normal.

"You'll have to excuse me, I'm afraid I've got to go." Osborn said suddenly.

"What? Why?" Harry questioned.

"Something…has come to my attention." Osborn said.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

"Fine, I'm fine. Thank you. Mrs. Parker. Everyone." Osborn said and strode out of the apartment and threw one last look back at Perenna Parker.

"Dad!" Harry yelled and followed after him, leaving the door ajar. "What are you doing? I planned this whole thing so you could meet M.J and you barely even looked at her!"

"I've got to go." Osborn said and started down the hall, but Harry grabbed his arm and turned him around.

"Hey, I _like_ this girl, this is _important_ to me!" he yelled.

"Harry, _please_. Look at her. You think a woman like that's sniffing around because she likes your personality?" Osborn questioned.

"What are you saying, dad?" Harry asked.

"Your mother was beautiful, too. They're all beautiful, till they're snarling after your trust fund like ravening wolves." Osborn said.

"Dad…This girl's not…" Harry said and Osborn interrupted him.

"A word to the not-so-wise about your little girlfriend. Do what you need to with her and broom her fast." Osborn said and left.

"What?" Harry questioned to himself.

In the apartment, M.J stood on the other side of the doo, listening. Every else is in the living room or kitchen. They could all hear and M.J turned away and grabbed her coat. Harry came back in as M.J stormed past.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Thanks for sticking up for me, Harry." M.J scoffed.

"You heard?" Harry questioned.

"Everyone could hear that creep." M.J said.

"That "creep" is my _father_! _Alright?_" Harry yelled angrily. "If I'm lucky, I've got the brains and the guts to become half of what he is, so you keep your goddamn mouth shut about things you don't understand."

"Harry Osborn!" Aunt May admonished.

"You're acting like somebody's father-_mine_!" M.J said and looked at Aunt May. "I'm sorry, Aunt May." She said before storming out of the apartment and slammed the door behind her.

"Harry, go after her!" Perenna urged.

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Harry, come on!" Perenna insisted.

"No. I can't." Harry said and looked at Aunt May. "Welcome to an Osborn Thanksgiving." He said and stormed into his bedroom and slammed the door.

"Sorry, Aunt May. It looked great." Perenna said sadly and gave her a kiss on the cheek before hurrying out of the apartment and found M.J sitting on a nearby step and crying. The chauffeur driven Bentley went driving by and she gave it the finger.

Perenna stood by her and she looked up at her, mascara dripping. She reached into the pocket of her sweater dress and pulled out a hanky, silently thankful that she always kept some on hand no matter what and held it out to her. "Take it." M.J hesitated, but took it. "Keep it, it's yours. Got a million of 'em. Aunt May, a dozen every Christmas."

M.J laughed and blew her nose. "Honnnk." She laughed harder and started to cry harder.

Perenna sat down beside her. "That's okay. Good cry."

"I'm sorry I acted like that, but I couldn't stay there. Being treated that way brings back bad stuff. I hate being thought of as if I'm not worth anything." M.J said.

"I understand." Perenna said thinking back to her high school years.

"I know you do." M.J said. "Your poor Aunt May. But I can't go back in there."

"She'll be okay. She's tough." Perenna said. "I've never seen Mr. Osborn act like that. I've never seen either of them act like that." She paused and while she wanted to keep it to herself, she added, "But I know Harry really loves you."

"Sometimes I wonder why I ever went out with him in the first place. I guess because he asked me. Dumb black dress." M.J grumbled.

"However, you do look extremely beautiful in it." Perenna said blushing.

M.J smiled at her. "Thank you. You look very beautiful yourself tonight too."

Perenna blushed harder. Not once has anyone ever said that particular word to her and it made her feel warm on the inside, and she's more in love than ever now. M.J put her arm around her shoulder and looked off; neither of them moving.

Neither of them is aware that Harry is at his window looking down at them.

* * *

><p><em>This changes everything…<em>

Osborn is huddled on the floor, cowering in a pool of light at the end of the hall in his study, holding something in his hand.

_Spider-Woman is all but invincible…but Parker…Parker is flesh and blood…We can destroy her…_

"I can't!" Osborn yelled. "I've been like a father to that girl. She'd be a good daughter."

_Which is exactly WHAT she wanted! She came to you, the greedy, open-mouthed, scheming little orphan…_

"She did…" Osborn agreed.

_Plucked your heartstrings like _a _master…Connived her way into your heart, leaving no room for Harry, your TRUE child and heir…_

Osborn is clutching in his hand the mask he wore as the Green Goblin and talking to it. "It's true…oh God…"

_And now, after everything you've done for Perenna Parker, after everything you've taught her, THIS is how she repays you?_

"What have I done to Harry? What have I done to my own son?" Osborn questioned.

_Betrayal must not be countenanced. Parker must _be_…educated._

"What do I do?" Osborn asked.

_Instruct her in the matters of loss and pain…Make her suffer, make her wish she were dead…_

"Yes!" Osborn shouted.

_And then grant her wish._

"But how?" Osborn asked.

_ The cunning warrior attacks neither body nor mind…_

"TELL ME HOW!" Osborn yelled.

_The heart, Osborn...first we attack her heart._

* * *

><p>The Parker house is silent and Aunt May is getting ready for bed, dressed in flannel pajamas, she moved to a photo of Uncle Ben on the bedside table and touched it affectionately. Aunt May kneeled by the bed, her knees painfully creaking and she rests her elbows on her bed, which is turned down for the night, folded her hands, and closed her eyes in prayer.<p>

"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but…"

Suddenly the wall behind her exploded, shattered glass flying everywhere. Aunt May spun around in horror and fell to the floor. The Goblin hovered over her as the room filled with green vapour and the horrible buzz of the glider's turbine engine.

"…but…but…but…" Aunt May struggled to continue as she paled and stared into the Goblin's inhuman eyes.

"FINISH IT! FINISH IT!" The Goblin yelled.

Aunt May clutched her heart and gasped. "…DELIVER US FROM EVIL!" she shouted, tensed and went limp as her eyes closed.

_"AMEN SISTER!"_ The Goblin shouted and his awful cackle is heard all throughout the neighbourhood.


	11. Chapter 11

Perenna rushed down the hall of a hospital corridor, looking frantic. She reached the last room on the right, ducked inside and saw Aunt May in a hospital bed, hooked up to a variety of urgently beeping machines. Doctors and nurses swarm around her, treating her and Perenna rushed in. "Aunt May!" Aunt May looked up at her, barely conscious. "What happened? Is she going to be okay?" she demanded.

"Miss, please. Let the doctors work!" A nurse said and lead Perenna out the door. The door started to close when she heard Aunt May start shouting,

"Those eyes…_those horrible yellow eyes!"_

* * *

><p>Perenna sat on a chair in Aunt May's hospital room, sitting at a lonely vigil. She's brought a picture for her bedside, a framed shot of May, Ben and herself.<p>

She looked at the picture. Ben was gone, Aunt May had nearly been killed because of her. Perenna leaned down to kiss her forehead as she blinked back tears. "I'm so sorry." _'It's all my fault.'_

Perenna didn't know when, but she was sure she had fallen asleep in her chair, and when she woke up, she blinked the sleep out of her eyes. She saw Aunt May sleeping and she also opened her eyes.

"Perenna? Did you stay all night?"

"Apparently so. I fell asleep in my chair." Perenna answered sheepishly.

Aunt May stared at her fondly. "You always did worry too much. Go home dear, get changed. I'll still be here when you get back."

Perenna looked uncertain. "I don't…"

"Go." Aunt May insisted gently.

Perenna nodded and kissed Aunt May on the forehead. "I promise I'll be back." She said and left the hospital room.

After taking a quick shower and changing into a new set of clothes, she headed back to the hospital, briefly stopping at a dinner for some food. When she got back, Aunt May was sleeping again and she resumed her seat next to Aunt May's bed.

Later in the day, she heard a soft knock on the door and she looked over, her face lighting up as she saw that it was M.J. "Can I come in?"

Perenna nodded and M.J looked at Aunt May. She came over to Perenna, holding flowers and put her free arm around Perenna's neck, giving her a hug Perenna closed her eyes, almost breaking down then and there.

"I'm sorry. I just heard about it." M.J said still hugging Perenna. She looked over at the bed and moved closer to Aunt May, and laid the flowers at the bedside table and gently touched her forehead. "Will she be okay?"

"We think so. She finally woke up this morning. For a while. Thanks for coming." Perenna said gratefully.

"Who would do this to your Aunt May? Why would anyone want to hurt her?" M.J questioned and Perenna didn't answer. "I'm so sorry, Perenna, I know you've asked yourself these questions."

"It's okay, how about you? Are you alright about yesterday?" Perenna asked.

"I'm sorry about that. Made things worse for everybody." M.J said.

"You were fine. Have you talked to Harry?" Perenna asked.

"He called me. I haven't called him back." M.J said and turned away from Perenna, to look back at a sleeping Aunt May and tucked in her bed sheet. "The fact is, I'm in love with somebody else."

Perenna felt her hope rise. "You are?" she asked in a politely curious tone.

"At least I think I am." M.J said looking back at Perenna. "This isn't the time to talk about this."

"No, go on." Perenna said and asked two questions that would confirm her suspicions. "Would I know his name? This guy?"

"It's not a guy." M.J murmured quietly. "Anyway you'll just think I'm a stupid little girl with a crush."

"Trust me." Perenna implored.

"I'm like head over heels, it's whacked…" M.J trailed off, conflicting emotions crossing her face.

"Who is _she_?" Perenna asked pointedly.

"It's funny. She saved my life twice, and I've never seen her face, not really." M.J said.

Perenna tried not to look too pleased. "Oh. Her."

"You're laughing at me." M.J accused.

"No, I understand, she is extremely cool." Perenna said.

"But do you think it's true? The terrible things they say about her?" M.J asked.

"No way." Perenna insisted. "That isn't Spider-Woman, not a chance in the world. I know her a little bit. I'm sort of her unofficial photographer."

"How do you always manage to find her?" M.J asked curiously.

"Wrong place, right time, I guess." Perenna shrugged.

"You ever talk to her?" M.J asked again in curiosity.

"Sometimes." Perenna replied.

"Does she ever talk about me?" M.J asked.

"Uh…yeah…once." Perenna said thinking it up on the spot. "Once she asked what I thought of you."

"What did you say?" M.J asked.

"I said…" Perenna quickly searched for the right words to say. "I said, Spider-Woman, the great thing about M.J is when…when you look in her eyes and she's looking back in yours and smiling, well, everything feels not quite normal because you feel…stronger. And weaker at the same time, and you feel both excited and terrified. The truth is, you don't know what you feel, except the kind of person you want to be and what it is, is, it's as if when you're with her, you've reached…the unreachable…and you weren't ready for it." She looked up blushing as she spoke her inner thoughts and saw that M.J was staring at her with tears welling in her eyes.

"You said that?" M.J asked.

"Uh…um, something like that." Perenna mumbled.

Neither noticed that Aunt May had opened her eyes and looked at them. Perenna is still blushing, mostly from embarrassment, but to her surprise, M.J reached out and took her hand. The door suddenly opened and _Harry Osborn_ came in, carrying a bouquet of flowers. His eyes went immediately to M.J and Perenna, holding hands.

"Hello." He said and Perenna hastily withdrew her hand, causing his face to harden.

* * *

><p>Harry came in through the front door. "Dad?" he called but received no answer. Harry stood at the bottom of the staircase and heard faint angry muttering. "Dad? Is that you?"<p>

The voice abruptly stopped and a moment later, his father appeared at the top of the stairs. At the distance, Norman is just a dark shadow. "What is it?"

"You were right about M.J. You were right about everything." Harry said. "She's in love with Perry."

Osborn looked truly surprised. "Parker?" he asked as he began to move down the stairs.

"Yeah." Harry replied.

"And…how does she feel about her?" Osborn questioned.

"Are you kidding? She's loved her since the fourth grade. She just acts like she doesn't. But there's no body Perenna cares more about." Harry explained.

Osborn's eye lit up at the information. "I'm sorry." He said and paused. "I haven't always been there for you, have I?"

"Well…you're busy, you're an important man, I understand that." Harry replied.

"It's no excuse. I'm proud of you." Osborn said. "And I lost sight of that somewhere. But I'm going to make it up to you. I'm going to rectify certain inequities…" he slipped an arm around his son and hugged him. "I love you, son."

* * *

><p>Perenna jolted awake in her chair and looked around startled as if she had just woken up from some horrible nightmare. Aunt May looked at her in concern, the flowers M.J had brought inside a vase on the bedside table.<p>

"Perenna. Perry?" she asked.

Perenna looked at her. "Huh? You're awake. That's good. Good. You okay?"

"I'm okay, but I think you should go home, and get some sleep. You look…awful." Aunt May said taking in the dark circles under Perenna's eyes and disheveled hair.

Perenna smiled slightly since she knew her aunt would never say something like that to hurt her feelings. "And you look beautiful." She replied. "But I don't like leaving you."

"I'm safe here." Aunt May assured her.

"I should be here." Perenna insisted. "Maybe I could've done something."

"Done something?" Aunt May repeated with a light-hearted chuckle. "You do too much. College, a job, all this time with me-you're not Supergirl, you know." Perenna also chuckled as she found the comparison funny. "A smile, finally. Haven't seen one of those since Mary Jane was here."

Perenna looked scandalized. "Hey, you were _supposed_ to be asleep. What did you hear?"

Aunt May smiled enigmatically. "You know, you were about six years old when M.J's family moved in next door. And when she got out of the car and you saw her for the first time, you grabbed me and said, "Aunt May, Aunt May! Is that an angel?""

Now Perenna just felt embarrassed. "Gee, Aunt May, did I say that?"

"You sure did, Perenna." Aunt Mau replied.

"Harry's in love with her. She's still his girl." Perenna replied morosely.

"Isn't that up to her?" Aunt May questioned.

"She doesn't really know me." Perenna replied.

"Because you won't let her. You're so mysterious all the time." Aunt May said. "Tell me, would it be so dangerous to let Mary Jane know how much you care? Everyone else knows."

Perenna thought about that, before the full meaning came to her. A concerned look, touched with a tinge of fear came over her face. "I'll be right back." She said getting off her seat and raced out of the room and snatched up a pay phone in the corridor of the hospital. She put a quarter in, dialed, and waits while t ringed. "Come on, pick up." She muttered, feeling a knot tighten in her chest.

No luck as she got M.J's voice recording. _"Hi, it's me, sing your song at the beep_."

"M.J, it's Perenna, you there? Hello? Alright, well, I'm calling to check up on you, so call me when you get in, and…don't go up any dark alleys." There's a click as the phone is picked up. "Hello?" she asked more hopeful. There's no answer, then a sound, no…a _cackle_, and Perenna's face paled.

The cackle grew louder and the Goblin finally spoke. "_Can Spider-Woman come out to play?"_

Perenna scowled at the wall. "Where is she?" she hissed. Her anger faded as she heard something that made her want to die.

_"Be of love, a little more careful, Spider-Woman."_

* * *

><p>M.J opened her eyes upon regaining consciousness and pulled herself to her feet, disoriented and holding her head in pain. She took a step backwards, but stopped suddenly and windmilled her arms for balance and looked down to see the road of a bridge, hundreds of feet below her!<p>

She gasped and stepped back horrified as she figured out where she was. _On top of the western tower of the Queensboro bridge!_

* * *

><p>Spider-Woman landed on the side of a building and saw the Green Goblin soaring past toward the top of the west tower of the Queensboro bridge where she saw M.J standing.<p>

* * *

><p>M.J heard a whining and had to duck as the Goblin flew overhead and she watched him rocket to the Roosevelt Island Tram Station.<p>

* * *

><p>The red tram with ten eight year olds and three chaperoning dads wear all wearing New York Rangers caps and watched in awe as the Goblin zipped by and they all rushed to the window for a better view.<p>

* * *

><p>The Goblin cackled as he raced toward the tram station and rocket launchers emerged from the glider. The rocket launched and headed toward the station. The Goblin peeled off just as the rocket barrelled into the tram station, obliterating it in a massive ball of smoke and flame.<p>

M.J and Spider-Woman both watched from their perches as the flames spread higher and revealed the charred remains of the tram station. The costumed woman leapt off the building and swung toward the bridge.

Cars came to a screeching halt, other cars crashed into each other and the eight years and three dads in the tram are suspended several hundred feet about the river, watching as the cut cable whips toward them, and the tram suddenly drops. They all scream as the tram plummeted to the water below. The Goblin though grabs the cable and zoomed away, halting the trams descent.

On the bridge, Spider-Woman dropped onto a vertical high-tension wire that held the bridge aloft, and took a giant leap onto the bridge.

"Spider-Woman!" Said woman looked up and saw the Goblin standing at the edge of the bridge tower, clutching M.J in one hand and the cable holding the tram full of children aloft in the other hand. "This is why only fools are heroes!" Spider-Woman froze. "Because you never know when some lunatic will come along with a sadistic choice…"

He shoved M.J out further, so her toes are actually over the edge. "Let die the woman you love…" The Goblin loosened his grip on the cable, letting it slip a little and causing the tram to drop a bit as the children scream. "…or suffer the little children."

Spider-Woman watched in horror as the tram swayed and saw the pleading faces of the children and their fathers as they pound on the glass, begging for help. She looked over at M.J, who was teetering over the edge.

"Make your choice, Spider-Woman, and see how a hero is rewarded!" The Goblin yelled. "This is _your_ doing! You caused this! _This is the life you've chosen!_" Spider-Woman looked impossibly between the tram and M.J, agonizing over her choice. "Chose!" The Goblin let go of the tram cable and M.J at the same time, sending them to their deaths below.

Spider-Woman watched them fall and in a split-second decision, she jumped after M.J and grabbed her in mid-air and shot a web at the undercarriage of the bridge, swinging underneath it with M.J. "Hold on!" she ordered and the redhead complied, tossing her arms around her neck as Spider-Woman reached out her now free hand and grabbed the tram cable. The tram bounced and Spider-Woman tried not to wince as she swore she was going to be feeling this in the morning.

If she _lived_ to see tomorrow, that is.


	12. Chapter 12

Spider-Woman looked down at M.J. "Climb down." She said and the redhead looked at her confused. "Climb down the cable to the tram." She clarified.

"I can't." M.J replied, a quiver in her voice.

"Please, you can." Spider-Woman said reassuringly.

"I'm scared." M.J said.

"Trust me." Spider-Woman said imploringly. M.J looked her in the reflective lens eyes and then down at the water below, then back into her eyes. _"Trust_ me." She repeated. Spider-Woman watched M.J climbed down the cable and heard a whine from behind just in time to see the Goblin and he cold cocks her in the jaw before zooming away.

Spider-Woman swayed back and forth. She saw him swing around and extended his arm. Sharp blades extend from it and the woman was helpless as he slashed at her stomach, causing her to lose her grip on the cable. She dangled from the web and grasped the tail end of the cable as it went dancing past her.

She screamed out as blood started to gush from her hand. She watched the cable go taut and M.J fell onto the tram below. Spider-Woman was feeling very much tired right now, but she knew she needed to keep going. She looked over to the right and saw the Goblin circling in.

She raised her head as the glider raced to her at full throttle. The Goblin pulled his fist back, but a huge chunk of asphalt clocks him in the side of the head, sending him spiraling out of control and past Spider-Woman.

The Goblin regained control and looked around, wondering where that had come from. He raised his head just as he is pelted with more asphalt, bottles, shoes, etc, as a bridge full of New Yorkers are hurling anything they can get their hands on at him. "Ahhhhhh!" he yelled covering his face and zoomed out of sight to avoid the raining debris.

* * *

><p>Spider-Woman saw an approaching fisher boat hailing her and once it was near, she gently lowered the cable and the tram by extension onto the boat, but suddenly felt something wrap around her waist and she looked down to see a thin steel line and she is jerked away.<p>

She thrashed as she spun out of control and felt the Goblin kick her before she went crashing into the abandoned hulking ruin of a condemned smallpox hospital on Roosevelt island below.

Spider-Woman brought her hands up to protect her face from the glass she was sent through and sent out a web to the support beam and went through an already smashed window. She landed hard on the ground and groaned. Everything hurt so much.

Light still streamed from the massive holes in the building and the dust made it hard to see. She staggered to her feet when she heard the whooshing of the Goblin's glider, only to fall back down. She looked down at her stomach to see blood still seeping out and the glass had only added more cuts.

She heard a strange scraping sound and looked around. Upon spotting a lone unbroken window, she approached it cautiously, as cautiously as she could while being punch-drunk. She flung the shutter on the window back and saw a horde of razor bats pressed against the window.

Spider-Woman's eyes widened behind her mask as the razor bats broke through and dived for her. She thought of swatting them away, but didn't want to get even more get up and raced toward a wall on the far end of the room, the razor bats following.

She jumped, planted her feet on the wall and did a back flip. The razor bats flew under her and crashed into the wall, crumpling to the ground. Spider-Woman looked down at the razor bats as a cocky smile started to grow on her face. "You ain't so bad." Her brief moment of reprieve faded as she saw more bats coming at her. She tried to evade them by flipping across the walls, but they soon overtook her and began ripping her to shreds.

"Enough!" The razor bats didn't let up though. "I SAID, ENOUGH!" The Goblin shouted once again and this time the bats flew away meekly.

Spider-Woman groaned quietly from where she had fallen on the ground. She rolled over onto her back and looked up at the goblin hovering over her, and tried to stand, only to come crashing back down. The Goblin laughed at her plight and reached into his glider and pulled out a rod. He pressed a button and three blades pop out, making the weapon look like it had a pitchfork/spear appearance.

"Ahhh, misery, misery, misery." He began. "Again and again I've tried to make my case, but you won't oblige. Had you not been so determined, your sweetheart's death would have been quick and painless, but now that you've really pissed me off, I'll see to it that it's slow and…painful." He said getting ready to lower the weapon. "…just…like…yours."

He reared back the spear and brought it down on Spider-Woman's chest. The woman caught it at the last second, as her strength started to return in righteous anger. She yanked the appear from Goblin and smashed it against his head so hard that it sent him flying back ten feet and crashing to the ground.

Spider-Woman got to her feet, fury fueling her adrenaline. She broke the pitchfork over her knee and tossed the broken parts to the side. She grabbed the Goblin by the chest, pulled him from the ground, and threw a haymaker into his jaw.

The Goblin went flying through a nearby by wall, and when he managed to rise, Spider-Woman delivered another devastating blow and the Goblin crumpled against the a stone wall. "Please…" Spider-Woman picked him up yet again, her rage being barely restrained. She was just about to punch him again when the Goblin removed his mask to reveal the face of Norman Osborn. "Perenna…"

Spider-Woman, fist still raised, stares at the face of her best friend's father. She stared in shock and disbelief, hell, she even ripped off her mask to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. They weren't. she let go of Osborn, who slumped to the floor, looking pathetically up at Perenna.

"Perenna…than God for you." He said in a small voice.

Perenna, still feeling the rage and violence in her burn, shook. "Can't be…you're a monster."

"Please, Perenna, don't let it take me back, I need your help. I'm not a monster." Osborn said.

"You killed those people on the balcony, you could have killed your son." Perenna hissed.

"IT killed them. The Goblin killed them. I had nothing to do with it. Please, don't let it have me again. Protect me, I beg you. Talk to me about this-" Surreptitiously, Osborn brought his right hand around in front of him, unseen, by Perenna. On his wrist, the touch pad controls of the Goblin glider flash patiently.

"You tried to kill Aunt May." Perenna stated angrily. "You wanted to kill Mary Jane."

"But not you, I would never hurt you." Osborn said as he pressed the red button on the pad. Perenna doesn't see this as her face twisted up. Behind her, the glider rose up into the air without a sound. Osborn kept talking to keep her distracted. "I knew from the beginning if anything happened to me, you were the one I could count on, you Perenna Parker, would save me, and so you have. Thank God for you." He pushed himself to his feet as he used the stone wall for support and held out a hand in pathetic supplication. "Give me your hand. Believe in me as I believed in you. I was like a father to you. Be a daughter to me now."

"I have a father. His name was Ben Parker." Perenna stated.

Suddenly a look crossed her face as Osborn began to cackle. It grew louder, crazier, totally and happily insane. "God's speed, Spider-Woman." He said.

Perenna's perception leaped out from her body and gave her a look behind her just as the glider's spear rotates into position on the front of the moving glider just a few feet from Perenna's back in slow motion. When real time returned, Perenna hurled herself to the side just as the glider turbine screams as it whistled past her, terror creased on Osborn's face and _his_ own_ glider rockets right through him_.

Norman Osborn slumped over, impaled by his own contraption, pinned to the wall. Perenna rushed forward, but she knows it's too late to do anything.

In the distance, Perenna heard sirens, and looked back at the body of Norman Osborn. She stepped forward, pulled the glider out and cradled him in her arms as she lifted him up.

* * *

><p>Perenna pushed open the wide French door of the balcony of Osborn's apartment and set the body down on the floor, the curtains wafting in the breeze. Osborn's body is dressed again, as she wanted to make sure there was no incriminating evidence of the Green Goblin costume. Blood soaked through his shirt ad he looked like a murder victim.<p>

With that implicating frame of mind, Perenna tied her mask back around her eyes and stepped toward the open French doors, but heard a near silent gasp to the door of the apartment and whirled around.

_Harry Osborn_ stood in the doorway, looking from his dead father to Spider-Woman, aghast. _"You…"_

Spider-Woman raised her hand to protest her innocence, but as she took a step forward, Harry took a step back. "No…"

_"Murderer!"_ Harry shouted. He lunged for a table nearby, opened the top drawer and grabbed a gun and turned.

But Spider-Woman is already gone.

* * *

><p>In the cemetery at BG, track lines of expensive cars are parked along a narrow, winding road. A few people from the service, including Pentagon generals, are dispersing. Aunt May, and M.J though are talking.<p>

Perenna and Harry walk toward the Osborn Bentley, anything below her neck having been covered in bandages and over that a black dress and black jacket. It was silent for a moment before she decided to say something. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I know what it's like to lose a father."

"I didn't lose him, he was stolen from me. And one day Spider-Woman will pay." Harry stated looking into Perenna's eyes. "I swear on my father's grave, Spider-Woman will pay." When they reach the Bentley, the chauffer opened the door for Harry and moved off. "Look…about M.J. I was just trying to please my dad. I thought he'd be impressed with me, with such a beautiful woman. I know she was never right for me. I wanted to make him proud, that's all. Now I'll never be able to. Thank God for you my friend. You're all the family I have left." He gave Perenna a hug and she tried not to wince from the grip, and then got into the car.

When the Bentley drove off, Perenna looked back at M.J and Aunt May on the hill by Norman's gravesite. As she turned, M.J locked eyes with her, and she smiled at her.

**No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try. The ones I love are always the ones who pay.**

Perenna walked over to another tombstone and heard a, "HEY!" causing her to turn and see M.J walking over to her. The tombstone was that of Perenna's uncle.

"Your aunt thought I'd find you here." M.J said.

"M.J's here, Uncle Ben." Perenna said to the tombstone.

The tombstone read:

_BEN PARKER  
>BELOVED HUSBAND AND UNCLE<em>

M.J moved closer to Perenna. "You must miss him so much."

"He was a great guy." Perenna stated sadly.

There was a pause of silence before they walk up a small knoll. The Skyline of New York in the background, and M.J stopped. "There's something I've been wanting to tell you." She paused and Perenna stopped to listen and waited patiently. "When I was up there and I was sure I was going to die, there was only one person I was thinking of, and it wasn't who I thought it would be. It was you. I kept thinking, I hope I make it through this, so I can see Perenna Parker's face one more time."

"My face?" Perenna asked surprised.

M.J nodded. "Sometimes what you want…you have to go to the edge of your life to find out it was right next door." She explained. "I've been so stupid for so long. There's only one person who was ever there for me, who had always been there for me…who makes me believe that I'm…more than I ever thought I was. That I'm just…me, and it's okay. The truth is…I love you. I really love you, Perenna."

Perenna felt her heart beating a mile a minute. She always wanted to her those words for so long in her life….

**Tell her you love her. Tell her who you are**.

But… "I…can't…" Perenna said slowly.

"You can't what?" M.J asked.

"Tell you everything. I mean there's so much to tell." Perenna started.

"Yes. So much to tell." M.J agreed.

"To the girl next door." Perenna finished.

"But is that all I am?" M.J questioned.

Perenna shook her head. "Oh, no, I, no, you're the amazing girl next door, Mary Jane, the amazing girl, and I want you to know that I will always be there for you; I will always take care of you. I promise you that. I wish I could give you more than that, but you must know…that you will always be safe."

M.J looked at her, and moved to embrace her. And gave her a gentle, little kiss, but full of magic.

Perenna though pulled back. "…can't." she said dazedly, but also sadly. She wanted to kiss back, but fear stopped her. If being Spider-Woman put M.J in danger like the previous night again, she'd never forgive herself if anything happened to her. She could feel her beginning to break as she said her next words, "I will always be your friend though."

"Only a friend?" M.J asked touching her face.

Perenna nodded as she looked away. "It's all I _can_ give." _'Liar_.' She thought to herself. She turned and began to walk away.

**Can't say I didn't warn you. The story of my life is not for the faint of heart.**

The wind picked up and Perenna pulled her coat tighter around her, and took one last look at M.J standing by the gravesite.

**Like the man said, it's **hard** to be a saint in the city. But whatever life holds in story for me, I now accept. I will never forget these word again: "With great power, comes great responsibility."**

**This is my gift. It is my curse. Who am I ?**

**_I'm Spider-Woman_**

* * *

><p>In the Daily Bugle office, Jameson, Robbie, and Hoffman were standing around his desk. "Spider-Woman, I don't get it. First the town thinks she's trash, and now she's a glamour girl." Jameson grumbled.<p>

"She's a hero, J.J." Robbie countered.

"Don't give me that line again, I don't trust heroes, they're nothing but criminals in disguise. HOFFMAN, where's Parker, I want some pictures." Jameson said.

"She just left." Hoffman replied.

"Left? She's always leaving." Jameson said.

"She went to cover the hostage story." Hoffman explained.

"Sure! Another hostage story. But where is she when the Green Goblin busted through my window? The Green Goblin and Spider-Woman, right in front of our noses! A golden opportunity and the photographer went to lunch." Jameson got distracted by an office boy holding up a pair of blue jeans. "And what's that?"

"Perenna Parker's pants, J.J." The office boy said nervously, most likely at the fact he was holding woman's pants.

"What?" Jameson asked incredulously.

"They were in the closet." The office boy replied.

"Parker's pants?" Jameson repeated.

"With her shirt, jacket, shoes and socks." The office boy finished.

"What's going on here, people better not have started having sex in the closet again. And who put these flowers on my desk?" Jameson questioned.

"I did, sir, it's your birthday." Miss Betty Brant said.

"What're you looking for, a raise? I don't want flowers, I want Perenna Parker here, not her pants, I want pictures, I wanna sell papers, I want Spider-Woman!"

* * *

><p>Spider-Woman swings away from the Bugle, laughing quietly to herself as she heard Jameson's ranting. Her reflection shimmering in the glass of the buildings as she passed them and the stone canyons of her city.<p>

* * *

><p>AN: And that's that.

Well, not really, but it's the end of the first movie. I will be doing the next two sequels, but how they will be written depends on what script or screenplay I can use that's as closely accurate to the movie, like the one I used for this one. If not, I will be using other screenplays I can find for the early drafts for the adaptations.

As just a heads up, I will try to include, 'missing scenes' where the breaks line in the movie appear, to give the story more depth.


End file.
